


Ignition

by VanLudwig



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Contracts, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sex, M/M, Power Dynamics, Power Play, sugar baby fic, sugar baby jounouchi, sugar daddy kaiba
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-04-26 13:53:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanLudwig/pseuds/VanLudwig
Summary: There was something odd about the way Kaiba was looking at him, something different in the icy calm of his voice. The air felt charged with the energy of an unspoken possibility.“What are you willing to do to secure this sponsorship?”“Anything,” Jounouchi answered immediately, “I’d do anything.”





	1. Like Old Times

Jounouchi stood in front of the thermostat, sizing it up the way he might stare down an opponent from across a duel area. He clutched the blanket tighter around his shoulders, regarding the little sliver of red-painted metal that was firmly fixed on the number fifty-two. Fifty-two degrees inside, and the weather report was not optimistic that the outside temperature would rise past twenty for the rest of the week. It would only get colder from here on out, as would Jounouchi’s apartment, it seemed, unless he acted. Gritting his teeth as if the motion required an immense amount of strength, he twisted the dial minutely, adjusting it to read fifty-five. He could afford fifty-five, probably. The rent had already been paid this month, an impressive feat considering what the water bill had been. Jounouchi was still a little unsure as to how he had accomplished that on his combined part-time salaries. But he had, and with the landlord kept at bay for another month, he figured he could splurge on a few extra degrees. Fifty-five. Jesus.

He returned to the couch, picking up a second blanket and wrapping it around himself as he returned to the video game he’d been playing before he’d started hearing ominous creaking noises coming from beneath the floor. The trick was to keep the building just warm enough so that the pipes didn’t freeze, but not so warm that the gas bill would be enormous. Hopefully, spring would come soon, but from the way January and February had gone, Jounouchi wasn’t optimistic for March. In order to not be home, he’d picked up a lot of hours at the grocery store he worked at, but they could only give him so many a week. It was a similar deal with the convenience store he worked nights at. They wanted to help him out, give him more work, but they couldn’t afford to give him the hours he needed.

Jounouchi sometimes caught himself missing the days when he didn’t have to worry about these things so much, when he’d lived with his father and had spent most of his time at school or Yuugi’s house. While it had been nice to have his father legally obligated to keep the roof over his head, it had not been so nice to actually live with said father. His friends had been his escape, but now they were mostly gone, too. Yuugi was always travelling, Anzu was in New York, and Honda worked long hours in his garage. He’d never been that close with Ryou and he still held that grudge against Otogi, even after everything. That left him with very little options, not that he’d ever ask for charity from anybody. He’d always been self-sufficient, solved his own problems. This was no different. He was lonely, true, but he didn’t want to bother anyone. They saw each other enough considering their busy adult lives. It was sad, but it was reality. No big deal. Adult life was a lot of sad reality, he’d all-too quickly discovered.

It was only during the nights, when the wind howled and he shivered underneath a mountain of blankets that couldn’t hold enough heat to keep him warm that he could admit to himself that things weren’t working, his life wasn’t working. He was barely keeping his head above water, and he missed the simple days of card games and friendship. Something would have to give eventually, he just wasn’t sure what it was going to be. Going back to his father wasn’t an option, and his mother had never been all that receptive when he’d been a child. She’d never take care of him as an adult. And he’d never burden Shizuka with his problems, not when she had so many of her own to deal with. He had to take care of himself. No one else was going to do it for him. He would just have to grin and bear it until something came along to make things better, or at least a little easier. Either that, or he would wind up homeless. It was unthinkable, but it had already happened to a few guys he’d known from back in his gang days. Jounouchi just hoped that he would come out on top when he finally hit his “make or break” moment. 

When he slept, he dreamed of card games, warm weather, and the smiles of his friends.

The next day came and went, and Jounouchi had just finished up a shift at the grocery store and was walking home with a brown paper bag full of microwave noodles when something caught his eye, a new billboard he hadn’t seen before up along the highway emblazoned with bright, bold letters advertising a Duel Monsters tournament that would be coming to Domino next month. Jounouchi stopped to look at it, absently wondering why he hadn’t heard anything from Yuugi about it. This would be great, though! Yuugi would have to come to town for a Kaiba Corp. tournament (they were his main sponsor, after all), and Jounouchi could enter the tournament, too. It would be like old times again - and maybe he’d win some prize money for himself! Jounouchi smiled at the thought as he hurried home, eager to put his groceries away so he could register himself for the tournament before he had to get to his other shift. He would have to go to a game shop to register, though, since he couldn’t fill out any kind of online form. He hadn’t paid his internet bill for the past two months, so he couldn’t get online. 

After the quick stop to his apartment, Jounouchi hopped on a bus, deciding he would visit the Kame Game shop and call Yuugi on the way using the bus’s wifi. Kame was actually not too far from his other job, so he would probably still make it on time, even if he got to talking with the old man. 

Jounouchi opened up his phone and clicked on Yuugi’s name.

“Hello? Katsuya?”

“Yuugi, hey buddy!” Jounouchi greeted, “How are you?”

“Good! How are you?”

“Doin’ great,” he lied smoothly, matching Yuugi’s excited tone, “So, listen, are you gonna be in town for the KC Tournament next month by any chance?”

“Yes!” Yuugi cheered, “I was going to text you about it as soon as the tournament went public, but I got super busy with stuff. I’m flying back home, like, tomorrow!”

“That’s awesome! I’m gonna enter, too!”

Yuugi paused on the other end of the line. Then, “Really? That’s great, Jou!”

“Yeah, I’m actually headed to your grandpa’s place to get my name on the list now,” Jounouchi continued, “You’ll have to give me the details when you get back. Ah, man, this is gonna be just like the old days, huh?”

Yuugi chuckled. “Yeah, just like old times,” he agreed, “Listen, though-,”

“Where are you now, Yuugi?” Jounouchi asked, grinning. It was so good to hear his best friend’s voice again. He’d missed Yuugi terribly. He could count on one hand how many times they’d talked in the last two or three months. Being King of Games sure didn’t seem like an easy job, even if it was a job Jonouchi would kill for.

“I’m, uh, actually I’m in China right now.”

“Oh, wow! Fancy stuff, huh?”

“Yeah, Jou,” Yuugi agreed with a giggle, “Mostly it’s exhausting, though. I wish I could say coming home will be relaxing for me, but since Domino is where KC headquarters are, I feel like I’ll be busier than ever.”

“That Kaiba keep you on a tight leash or something?”

“Well, sort of. Being a pro-gamer is a lot more than just playing the card games, actually.” Yuugi chuckled again. “I have to practice a lot, attend brand meetings, promote new stuff. I actually have to do a lot of non-duel monsters stuff, too, ever since KC broke into the PC gaming market.”

Jounouchi listened to Yuugi talk about his job with a tiny, guilt-inducing flame of envy in his heart. He would have loved to go pro after school, but he didn’t have the wins under his belt that Yuugi did, nor did he have the start-up money to devote all his time to gaming. He’d been kicked out of his dad’s house pretty much the moment he turned eighteen, so he’d gotten his part-time job to keep himself afloat. Then, when the ship had continued to sink, he’d gotten the other part-time job, and that left him with almost no time to devote to gaming. Not to mention, the technology itself cost money to buy and maintain. Jounouchi had tried for a few months, but he just couldn’t finance it, so he stopped. If he’d been good enough to win Duelist Kingdom or Battle City back in the day, maybe then he’d have been able to secure corporate sponsorship. Although, thinking about Yuugi’s situation, Jounouchi wasn’t sure he’d want a guy like Kaiba as his sponsor. He liked to do things his own way, which meant no uptight, know-it-all, rich boy jerk telling him what to do. Still, a sponsorship from KC would be huge, life-changing stuff.

“Listen, Yuugi, this has been awesome, but I’m gonna bounce now,” Jounouchi said good-naturedly, “I’ll see you when you get back, yeah? We’ll have to get together.”

“Absolutely! I can have grandpa roll out the guest futon for you!”

Jounouchi could have kissed him. “That’d be sweet! Just like old times, man. Catch you later.”

The bus stopped right in front of the Kame Game Shop, and Jounouchi hopped off and stood on the curb, simply staring up at the building for a moment. Some of the best times of his life were spent at Yuugi’s grandpa’s place, playing games with his friends and fawning over new cards and packs. 

He strode inside with all the confidence befitting a person who essentially used to live there. “Hey, Grandpa!” he called out over the ringing of the shop’s bell.

“Jounouchi?” the old man called back, poking his head out of the back room, “Is that you?”

“Sure is! I’m here to register for the new KC tournament!” 

“You are?” Grandpa Mutou approached Jounouchi, stroking his chin absently. “I didn’t think that tournament was open to the public.”

Jounouchi scoffed. “I’m hardly the public.”

Grandpa continued frowning in thought. “Even so, my boy, you’d have to take that one up with Kaiba himself. I could look online for you to see what his website says, but I don’t have the authority to enter you.” 

Jounouchi snorted out his nose. “No way a jerk like Kaiba would give me special treatment.”

Grandpa shrugged. “I don’t know what else we can do. Maybe Yuugi will know?”’

Jounouchi nodded eagerly. “Ah, yeah! Yuugi said he was gettin’ in tomorrow! He’d definitely know how to enter me into the tournament.”

“I’m going to pick him up at the airport around lunchtime. You could come here and wait for us to get back?” Grandpa suggested.

Jounouchi cringed. He would have to call out his shift at the grocery store to do that. But it would be worth it, wouldn’t it, to get a shot at the prize money? “Will he be busy tomorrow night, do ya think?”

Grandpa waved his hands around a bit comically. “Oh, I don’t know what my Yuugi gets up to anymore! He’s always so busy, you know? But I’m sure he would make time for a good friend like you, Jounouchi.”

Jounouchi was grateful for the old man’s kindness. He spent a few more minutes in the shop, asking polite questions about business and about Yuugi, until he could make his excuses and duck out to get to work. The entire shift, though, he couldn’t stop thinking about the tournament. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to enter, after all, if sign-ups weren’t open to the public. But Yuugi might be able to get him a place, he was Kaiba Corp.’s top duelist. Kaiba wouldn’t say no to him, would he? 

Jounouchi oscillated between gut-wrenching doubt and stalwart confidence for the entire next day, equal parts certain his friend would be able to help him out and afraid that the animosity between himself and Kaiba during their high school years would be too wide a gap to bridge. He wasn’t usually such a worrier, but it had gotten into his head that this tournament might just be his only shot left at breaking into the pros. A private tournament was much more prestigious than a public one, after all. If he could just work a little Jounouchi magic, pull off one last miracle win, he would make a name for himself and finally snag that all-important sponsor that would let him quit his jobs and devote all his time to Duel Monsters. 

Jounouchi hadn’t even finished untying his apron all the way after his shift before he was dialing Yuugi’s number.

“Hey, Jounouchi!”

“Yuugi, let’s hang out! Burger World? I’m starving!”

“Yeah, for sure! I actually just finished up my meeting at KC, and I can put off starting my tournament prep until tonight.”

“Dueling champs like you still gotta eat,” Jounouchi agreed.

“I haven’t had Burger World in so long,” Yuugi moaned, “Text me your address so I can come pick you up.”

“Grandpa let you borrow his wheels?”

“Get this: company car.”

“No!!”

“Oh, yeah.” Jounouchi could hear Yuugi grinning. “It’s sweet. Wait ‘til you see it, you’re gonna die.”

Jounouchi’s eyes bugged out of his head when, ten minutes later, a sort-of villainous looking black car pulled up beside him. A black-tinted window rolled down to reveal Yuugi’s mock-scowling face. “Come with me if you want to live,” he intoned, his voice a little too high to pull off the action movie quote. 

Jounouchi threw himself into the passenger seat and embraced his friend over the center console. “Yuugi, buddy, I missed ya!”

“I missed you, too! Now, let go of me. I’m so, so starving.”

Yuugi peeled away from the curb, whooping at the squealing noise the tires made against the pavement. “This car is so sick!” he exclaimed over the roar of the rapidly accelerating engine. 

“Whoa, Yuugi, slow down!” 

Yuugi laughed. “Sorry. I just never get a company car. I feel like a badass! Doesn’t this thing totally look like something a gangster would drive? Like, an old timey gangster? You think Kaiba could get me a company Tommy gun?”

Jounouchi laughed. “God, you haven’t changed.”

“Yup, same old me. How’re you, Jounouchi?”

Small-talk occupied them on the ride there and through their first couple burgers. Jounouchi participated as enthusiastically as he could, but as much as he had missed his best friend, the question he was dying to ask was gnawing at his mind, threatening to drive him crazy with anxiety. But he didn’t want to make Yuugi think that was the whole reason he’d wanted to hang out, so he reigned himself in as best he could. He kind of wanted Yuugi to be the one to bring it up, too. Because Yuugi wanted him to play in the tournament, too, right? Jounouchi rarely experienced insecurity - he was far too proud - but it would still be nice to be reassured. 

His patience was blessedly rewarded after Yuugi had ordered them some dessert milkshakes and was signing the check. “So, Jounouchi, I’ve been thinking about what you said about the upcoming KC tourney. Did you know it’s a private tournament?”

Jounouchi nodded. “Yeah, your Gramps told me when I went over the other day.”

“So, normally, you’d need an invite to participate.” Yuugi fiddled with the pen in his hands as he spoke. “Kaiba sent them out months ago. But, I think it’d be worth it to go talk to him about it. The tournament is a reunion of sorts, with all of the past winners of the last several seasons being invited to compete in this, kind of, clash of champions.” 

Jounouchi hoped he hadn’t visibly paled. He watched the dueling network religiously - when he could get a good signal to stream the games on his computer - and all of the competitors who’d won were ruthlessly good. 

“But you were always pretty good in high school,” Yuugi continued, “You had your gambling strategy that, while not always reliable, fascinated Kaiba.”

“He said that?”

Yuugi nodded. “We’ve had one or two conversations about your decks and strategies in the past.” His expression softened. “You think I’m just going to leave to work for the best gaming company in the world and not get a good word in for my buddy while I’m there?”

Jounouchi felt a prickling behind his eyes. “Yuugi, I-,”

Yuugi continued, talking over the words Jounouchi couldn’t quite get out. “It never amounted to much, which is why I’ve never mentioned it. Kaiba is, as you probably remember, kind of a hardass. But he’s always been interested in your strategies, mostly because he doesn’t know how you win with them. He thinks you should’ve never been able to beat me to take back Red Eyes. You’ve never beaten him, but I’ve beaten him, and you’ve beaten me. Get it?”

Jounouchi nodded. “Stuck-up prick like him, probably drives him nuts.”

Yuugi pulled a face. “Yeah, maybe when you ask him to let you play, don’t call him that.”

Jounouchi scowled. “You want me to play nice with that guy?”

Yuugi frowned thoughtfully. The expression made him look sad. “Not to be indelicate, Jounouchi, but you really shouldn’t insult him like that. He’s done a lot for me, and he’s not as bad as he used to be. It’s been years since high school. And he could start your dueling career, even if it isn’t in this tournament. Playing nice with Kaiba, it’s…,”

Jounouchi sighed. “My only option. Yeah, Yuugi, I get it.”

“I just, I know how hard things have been for you,” Yuugi explained with some hesitation, “And I don’t know if they have to be that way. You’re a good duelist, but, well, how should I say this?”

“I piss off the wrong people?” Jounouchi offered grimly.

Yuugi grimaced, but he didn’t correct him. 

Jounouchi sighed. “I mean, you’re right, Yuugi. This could be my shot at redemption, yanno? I didn’t have the wins under my belt to go pro like you did back then, but I could make my case for Kaiba to sponsor me. I just gotta suck it up, huh?”

“I’ll help you talk to him,” Yuugi offered hopefully, “You’re a good duelist, Jounouchi. You’re really good! You just need to, uhm, to network better!”

Jounouchi laughed. “Yeah, yeah, clean up my act, I get it.”

“If you’re not doing anything today, I actually have to head back to KC later to talk to Kaiba about some things I’ve been working on for him. I was going to do it tomorrow, but he blocked some time out for me today in case I changed my mind.” 

Jounouchi’s brows furrowed. “That doesn’t sound like Kaiba.”

“Like I said, he’s changed. Anyway, you wanna come with me?” Yuugi asked.

Jounouchi knew he should’ve been excited, but he wasn’t. He was actually incredibly nervous, but he’d never been one to let it show. “Yeah! The sooner I get entered, the sooner I can start building my deck. Man, I haven’t worked on that thing in ages.”

“You can come over tonight, then, and sleep over!” Yuugi declared, spinning his keyring around his finger. He stood, pocketing his credit card and motioning for Jounouchi to follow him. “I’ve got a ton of cards you can choose from. Like you said, it’ll be just like old times!”

Jounouchi rose and followed Yuugi to the car, smiling. “Yeah, just like ‘em.”

Yuugi and Jounouchi drove into center city Domino, all the way up to the doors of KC headquarters. Yuugi steered the car into the parking garage, leaving the car in an employee parking spot. They walked over a bridge made of glass from the garage to the building itself, the floor displaying the dizzying, several story drop to the street below.

Jounouchi felt his heart racing. He couldn’t help it - he was excited! Things were really starting to look up for him! He’d been struggling for a while on his own, but it really was like how Anzu always used to make it out to be. On his own, he wasn’t much, none of them were. But together! He felt a surge of gratitude in his heart for Yuugi. 

When they entered the building, the receptionist scanned Yuugi’s employee badge and asked Jounouchi to sign a guest book. “I just spoke with Mr. Kaiba’s personal assistant. He’s wrapping something up in his office and should have a few minutes to speak with you. Do you need directions?”

“35th floor, right?” Yuugi asked.

The receptionist nodded.

“Then we’re good, thanks.”

Yuugi and Jounouchi walked over to an elevator and entered, pressing the button for the top floor. 

“Of course Kaiba would be on the top floor,” Jounouchi said with a roll of his eyes.

Yuugi raised his eyebrows.

“Right, sorry,” Jounouchi said sheepishly. 

The elevator took them all the way to the top, and they exited into a posh waiting room with several comfortable-looking couches, a mini-bar, and an excellent view of center city. Jounouchi collapsed onto a couch gracelessly, openly gaping out the window. Yuugi passed by the couches, presumably to check-in with Kaiba’s assistant, and then he, too, took a seat to wait. 

“You want anything to drink?” Yuugi asked, reaching into the mini fridge and pulling out a soda.

“Oh, sure!” 

Yuugi tossed him a soda, which Jounouchi cracked open gleefully. “A guy could get used to this!” he declared.

Yuugi nodded his agreement, crossing his legs primly and sipping his own drink. His phone was in his hand, and he scrolled idly on it, not really paying attention. Jounouchi contented himself to look out the window. He didn’t have a fancy phone that he could access the internet with, didn’t even have a phone at all. It didn’t usually matter to him, but all of a sudden, sitting in the midst of this luxury, it did. Yuugi just looked so comfortable, sitting there on the couch like he owned the place, like nothing felt out of the ordinary. Jounouchi supposed that was true, though. Yuugi belonged in a place like this now - it was his job to be at Kaiba Corp. He was probably used to Kaiba’s extravagance by now. 

“I thought I smelled wet dog.”

What was left of Jounouchi’s smile melted off. He turned his head to see Kaiba, standing in front of the doors of his office. He was wearing an all-black suit, right down to the shine of his shoes, and his scowl was exactly the way Jounouchi remembered it, when he cared to think about Kaiba at all. 

“Hey, Seto,” Yuugi greeted, ignoring Kaiba’s rude comment, “I brought the latest research for the project I’ve been working on. I thought it would be better to tell you in person, since we’re actually in the same country for once.”

Kaiba looked at Yuugi and actually smiled. The expression made him look younger, much younger than Jounouchi had ever seen him look, even in high school. Kaiba stuck his hands in his pockets as he approached them. “Well, at least on video call, there’s no risk of you dragging vagrants into my office.”

Jounouchi scowled and was about to snap an angry comeback when Yuugi cut back in. “Actually, Kaiba, Jounouchi has an offer for you.”

“Does he now?” 

Kaiba turned his gaze on Jounouchi. His eyes weren’t cruel, merely curious. Jounouchi was taken aback. “Uh, yeah, Kaiba. Long time no see. How’s about a friendly hello for your old pal Jounouchi?”

Kaiba snorted. “We are hardly friendly.”

“We weren’t friends, either, before I started working for you,” Yuugi pointed out quickly.

Kaiba’s brows raised. “Am I then to assume that yours is a business proposal?”

“Well, yeah,” Jounouchi replied, summoning his trademark courage, “I wanna enter your tournament next month. I’m here to register.”

“Are you aware the tournament is invitation only?”

“Are you aware how dumb you are for not invitin’ me?”

Yuugi visibly stiffened, but Kaiba laughed. It wasn’t cruel laughter, exactly. Jounouchi couldn’t tell, but Kaiba sounded amused, so he probably hadn’t messed up too badly yet. “Step into my office, Jounouchi. Let’s discuss this further. Yuugi, you may leave your reports with my secretary.”

“I haven’t written them down.” 

“You may borrow a pen. Jounouchi, come here.”

Jounouchi looked at Yuugi questioningly, but Yuugi’s face only mirrored his own indecision. 

“I won’t ask again,” Kaiba said, a bit testily, then went back into his office, leaving the door ajar. 

Well, now or never, Jounouchi supposed. He mustered up a confident grin for Yuugi’s sake, then followed Kaiba, shutting the door behind him.

“Sit.”

“I’m not a dog, Kaiba. You can’t order me around.”

Kaiba leaned his weight against the front of his desk, crossing his legs at the ankles. He was all limbs, just the way Jounouchi remembered him. God, Kaiba had to be, what? Six foot five? Long, graceful legs arching up into slender hips, accentuated by a silver KC logo buckle. His arms were crossed against his chest which, even through his black button-down, was noticeably well-defined. He regarded Jounouchi with calm interest, his long neck tilted to the side, as if trying new angles would help him to see something new. “No, you aren’t a dog, but I used to call you one quite often, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Jounouchi agreed, “It wasn’t nice.”

“No,” Kaiba agreed passively, “No, it was not.” 

There was something odd about the way Kaiba was looking at him, the icy calm of his voice. The air felt somehow charged with the energy of some unspoken possibility. 

“So, you want to enter the tournament,” Kaiba repeated, “But it’s only open to past tournament champions. Bit of a problem for you, isn’t it?”

Jounouchi steeled himself. “A problem you could solve pretty easily if you wanted to.”

“Yes, if I wanted to,” Kaiba repeated, upper lip curling cruelly, “But I’ve never made it my business to solve other people’s problems, least of all yours.”

“It’d help you, though.”

Kaiba’s cruel smile persisted. “How? How would allowing you a place in my tournament help me? You’re unranked, you have no sponsorship, you don’t have any kind of fan following, to my knowledge. You won’t bring anything into this tournament. I would be giving you everything, and that’s a risky investment.”

Jounouchi felt his vision going red. He tried to force himself to think calmly, but his blood was boiling. “It ain’t my fault I don’t have a sponsor! Some of us didn’t have the money to go pro right out of school!”

“You would’ve if you’d been any good.”

“That’s not true!”

Kaiba pushed his weight off of his desk, stalking towards Jounouchi on those long limbs. “Yuugi said you had a proposal for me. Let me be very clear: it is only a proposal if you have something of value to offer to me. You have very little of value in general, Jounouchi, let alone something I would want.” 

Kaiba’s danced with cold mirth, but there was something else, too. Interest? A challenge? Jounouchi couldn’t tell; he was too angry to process his own emotions, let alone Kaiba’s.

“I knew this was a waste of my time! Yuugi said you’d changed, but you haven’t!” Jounouchi yelled, grabbing hold of Kaiba’s collar and yanking, “You’re just the same, stuck-up prick you’ve always been!”

“And you’re just a third-rate duelist whose lost every game that’s ever mattered!” Kaiba spat back, slapping Jounouchi’s hand away.

Through the haze of rage, a light-bulb flickered on. “Almost every game, Kaiba,” he corrected, gazing heatedly into Kaiba’s eyes. “Almost every game, but I’ve beaten Yuugi, unlike you.”

Kaiba scowled. “Shut your mouth, you filthy mutt. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jounouchi’s smug grin split his face from ear to ear, “He told me you still haven’t managed to beat him yet. How’s that feel?”

“Get out of my office,” Kaiba ordered, “Now!”

“Not until you let me into your tournament!”

“LIke hell I would ever attach my name to anything remotely related to you!” Kaiba roared, “You’re stupid, you’re sloppy, and representing you would drag my name through the mud of your incompetence!”

Jounouchi froze, standing stock still, and regarding Kaiba warily. “Now, hold on-,”

“No. Leave before I call security.”

Kaiba turned his back to him, reaching a hand to the phone on his desk. With a frustrated yell, Jounouchi whirled on his heel and slammed the door open, bursting through it and making Kaiba’s personal assistant cry out in surprise. The first thing Jounouchi saw was Yuugi’s sad face, because of course he’d heard everything. 

The second thing Jounouchi saw was himself in the polished glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sun hitting it in such a way that it took on a mirrored effect. He looked angry. He looked tired. Jounouchi stared at the reflection, surrounded by the high-tech glamour of Kaiba Corp., and he saw himself through Kaiba’s eyes. A deadbeat. A loser. A duelist who had looked so promising at sixteen but by twenty had fallen through the cracks into obscurity. An old enemy in rumpled, ill-fitting clothes, coming to his tower to insult him and bully him into favors he had no right to ask for. Jounouchi looked at his reflection, and he hated what he saw. 

Head bowed, he walked back into Kaiba’s office. 

“I thought I told you-,” Kaiba started angrily.

“Please,” Jounouchi interrupted, voice quiet but steady. “Kaiba, I need this. You’re right, I have no sponsorship. I’m unranked. I work two jobs, but I can barely pay my bills, let alone invest in cards or duel tech, if I even had the time to play anymore.” He looked up into Kaiba’s eyes, humbled but still determined. “I’m the underdog. I always have been; this isn’t, like, a new thing for me. And you don’t have to like me. But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be. I know I can do more; I know that I can be more, but I can’t get there by myself.”

Kaiba was pensive. He sat down at his desk, laid his hands down flat on the surface and stared at Jounouchi. “It takes a lot of guts to admit that kind of thing,” he said quietly, “But that still doesn’t solve the problem for me. What do I get from sponsoring you?”

“I know you don’t think I’m good, but I am the only person who’s ever beaten Yuugi,” Jounouchi reasoned.

Kaiba’s face was unreadable.

“C’mon,” Jounouchi pleaded, “There’s gotta be something you want from me, Kaiba.”

Kaiba seemed to consider this, hands clasped in front of him on his desk. “What are you willing to do to secure this sponsorship?”

“Anything,” Jounouchi answered immediately, “I’d do anything.”

Kaiba’s eyes scanned him with uncomfortable slowness, as if scrutinizing every single inch of him. Jounouchi fidgeted with his hands, clutching at the bottom hem of his jacket in sweaty palms. He hadn’t wanted to get real serious with Kaiba, but he honestly didn’t know what he’d been hoping for. This was good, though, right? Kaiba was considering him, if a bit thoroughly. He wasn’t kicked out anymore. He was here, in Kaiba’s office, and Kaiba was staring at him with… what was that emotion, anyway? The guy had always been downright unreadable, but Jounouchi was confused by what he saw in Kaiba’s eyes. He looked, well, he looked hungry.

“Alright,” Kaiba said eventually, “I have some strict conditions, but I will be able to offer you employment at KC. I need to know what, exactly, your needs are in terms of salary and benefits in order to determine the exact proposal.” There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence before Kaiba said, “And your boundaries. Sit.”

This time, Jounouchi did. 

“I still cannot allow you to enter the tournament,” Kaiba said abruptly, speaking quickly, “The roster was finalized months ago. The promotional material has been sent out all over the world. It would be too costly to change anything now. And too big a risk to throw you in unpracticed.” Kaiba’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, and it occurred to Jounouchi that perhaps Kaiba was feeling nervous. “However, there are other ways to reconcile your situation. To make use of you.”

Jounouchi furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”

“Normally, my full-time employees go through screenings, an application process, and training. That takes quite a while, and the pay would not be at a high enough initial rate to allow you to begin building your professional dueling career from the ground for several months, considering your financial situation and the possibility of debts.” Kaiba seemed to be talking to himself now. At least, he was speaking so quickly, Jounouchi couldn’t seem to get a word in edgewise, even if he’d had anything to say. “Contract employees don’t need all of that, however, and the pay would be flexible enough to allow for a commission-based structure. The only problem, then, would be of…,” he trailed off, eyes looking distinctly hazy for a moment. Then, he snapped out of it, focusing intently on Jounouchi in a way that made him feel like his skin was crawling. 

“What?” Jounouchi asked, “Kaiba, you’re actin’ weird.”

“Jounouchi,” Kaiba said, sounding dissonantly hesitant. Jounouchi had never heard Kaiba sound uncertain about anything before. It was gone in an instant, however, as Kaiba stood. “I am prepared to offer you a contract position and sponsorship with Kaiba Corp., provided you are willing to meet certain requirements specific to your-,” he paused, eyes trailing up and down the length of his frame, “-unique position.”

“And what would those be?” 

Kaiba rounded the desk, seeming to devour the ground with each step until they were scarcely less than a foot apart. “You need the sponsorship and the contract to be financially stable enough to devote your time to professional dueling. Understand, Jounouchi, that I am prepared to give this to you, provided you meet certain needs of my own.”

“What needs?” Jounouchi felt his growing impatience like an itch he was unable to scratch. Excitement was welling up within him, but his natural suspicion of everything that seemed too good to be true kept it from being realized. “What’s the catch?”

There was another silence. It felt ominous, but that could’ve been the way Kaiba was glowering at him, hands steepled in front of him at chest height. “As my personal assistant, you will be expected to meet my physical needs when and where I require them, on an exclusive, confidential basis, as compliant with your contractual obligation.”

What?

He couldn’t have heard that right.

“In return,” Kaiba continued, “You will receive financial compensation, a full benefits package, and access to company equipment and products.”

Kaiba hadn’t meant “physical needs” that way, had he?

“In addition to your attention to my physical satisfaction, your job will, of course, include practicing dueling, making use of the facilities here at the tower, and performing quality checks on KC products pertaining to dueling.”

“What?” Jounouchi finally managed.

“Sponsored duelists living in city limits are required to help maintain servers and-,”

“I didn’t mean that, Kaiba.”

Kaiba cocked his head again, stretching his long neck to the side, almost invitingly. Jounouchi could see the long tendon standing out against his pale skin.

“You know I didn’t mean the goddamn job description.” His voice came out surprisingly measured and even, considering the subject at hand. “Well, that part of it, anyway.”

“Are you disagreeable?” Kaiba asked genuinely.

“Hell yeah I’m disagreeable! Where is this even coming from?!”

Kaiba moved his head to the other side, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I was under the impression that you’d do anything to secure sponsorship?”

“Well, yeah, but this is just humiliating!” he protested. “Like, are you making fun of me right now, or what?!

Kaiba inhaled sharply, then let out a long sigh. “You were honest with me. I’m being honest with you. I’m unhappy. My doctors tell me I need an outlet for my stress or else my health will continue to suffer. I,-” he paused, wrinkling his nose, “I have difficulties with leisure and relaxation.”

Jounouchi snorted loudly. “I’ll say!”

Kaiba glared. “You want me to help you. In return, this is the problem I’m hiring you to fix.”

Jounouchi regarded Kaiba skeptically, but he had never been good at reading the other’s emotions - that had already been a problem for him several times today. But Kaiba didn’t seem to be lying. After all, who would lie about something like this? It was kind of a double-edged sword to be using as a humiliation tactic. Sure, Jounouchi was the one being bought like a whore, but Kaiba was the one trying to pay for him, so what did that say?

“Why can’t you just get some girl to do it with?”

“It can’t be just anyone.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Think what you want. It changes nothing about my offer.”

The real problem was, would he do it? Could he do it? At twenty years old, he’d never considered himself anything other than straight, but then, he’d never even so much as kissed a girl, either. He’d certainly never thought about kissing Kaiba before. They were enemies, after all! Enemies just didn’t go around trying to kiss each other. And Kaiba seemed to be asking more of him. Much more. Hell, even kissing would be further than he’d ever gone with anyone before. It was all too much, too much to handle in one moment, even in one day.

“Is this for real?” Jounouchi asked. His voice sounded strange to him, like it wasn’t his own even though it had come from his mouth. 

Kaiba nodded. “Have I ever joked before?” He cracked a smile, then. Just a small one, barely more than a sliver, but it was a smile nonetheless. “I’m Seto Kaiba.”

Jounouchi did not smile back. “This is the only way you’ll sponsor me?”

“It won’t be indefinitely. We will set a time limit in your contract.”

Jounouchi shivered. “I, uh, I need to think about this.”

Kaiba nodded. He reached behind him and plucked something off of his desk. Handing it to Jounouchi, he said, “Take my card, it has my direct extension on it. You will call me when you’ve made your decision. And you will tell no one about my offer.”

Jounouchi slipped the card into his pocket. “Yeah, uh, sure.”

They stood like that, then, simply staring at one another for a moment. Jounouchi wasn’t sure how to process what he was feeling - he certainly couldn’t articulate it to Kaiba, of all people. So, he turned and left, and God, he really couldn’t talk to Yuugi about this, either. But there he was, standing near the doors with a questioning look on his face. Jounouchi paled as he worried about how much his friend had heard.

“You ready to go?” Yuugi asked, concerned.

“Uh, yeah.”

They walked away together, and as soon as the elevator doors had closed, Yuugi was grilling him for answers.

“I dunno, I told him I had to think about it.”

“What?! Why? Was his offer bad? He did make an offer, right?”

Jounouchi shrugged. “It’s complicated. He did, but I’m not sure I want it.”

“Jou…”

“Look, man, it’s-,” Jounouchi paused, struggling for words, “I dunno how to talk about it. I just need to think about it, is all. Nothin’ major, nothin’ to worry about. I just need time to, y’know, think it over.”

Yuugi grudgingly left him alone, instead filling the silence on their ride back to Jounouchi’s apartment with talk of the project he’d been working on for Kaiba. Something to do with a phone app, some kind of new mobile game, but Jounouchi wasn’t wholly listening. He was grateful for his friend’s chatter, but his mind felt scattered. 

He was also grateful that he didn’t have work that night. He would’ve probably called out if he had. Everything that Kaiba had said, the things he wanted Jounouchi to do… it felt like a lot for him to have to deal with. He hadn’t so much as seen Kaiba in two years, and then the guy offers him a job as, what? His sex pet? It was too bizarre, not something that would ever happen in real life. And yet, those seemed to be the terms of the arrangement that would get him into the pro-dueling circuit. A KC sponsorship, a paycheck, benefits, and access to all the latest tech and cards. All he had to do was fuck Seto Kaiba.


	2. Stranger Things Have Happened

As it happened, the decision became quite easy to make after temperatures hit a record low that night and the following day was filled with the uniquely torturous bullshit that was working in customer service. It was as if every shrill, middle-aged shrew with a couponing addiction banded together that blustery afternoon to go down to Jounouchi’s store with the sole purpose of driving him insane. Everytime one of them demanded something stupid or yelled about the unfairness of the price of noodles, his brain would remind him how much better life would be on the pro dueling circuit, even if it meant figuratively and literally being under Kaiba. Jounouchi actually hadn’t even been able to finish the entire shift. Right after a toddler threw up on the ground in front of his register and his mother had snapped her fingers in his face and told him to clean it up, Jou had calmly untied the string of his apron, laid it over the keyboard of his register, and walked right out. He went to the nearest payphone, plugged in a few coins, and dialed the number on Kaiba’s business card, which had been in the front pocket of his jeans since he’d been given it yesterday.

“Seto Kaiba.”

Jou snorted. “Is that really how you answer your phone?”

“Jounouchi?” Kaiba asked, surprised, and then, in a lowered tone, “Have you made your decision?”

“Yeah. I dunno what your schedule’s like, but I’m free now if you wanna talk.”

There was a brief silence save for the clicking of a keyboard. “I’ll take lunch now and come get you.”

Jounouchi gave Kaiba directions to his (former) work and sat down on the curb to wait, his nerves mounting with every passing minute. It took a good half an hour for Kaiba to finally show, but eventually a KC company car came cruising up the parking lot towards him. When he got in, he felt some of his earlier bluster leave him, replaced instead with a seldom-felt awkwardness. 

“I have the paperwork in my briefcase,” Kaiba said in lieu of a greeting, “I drew it up last night in case you were to accept my offer.”

“Your incredibly weird offer,” Jounouchi said before he had time to think better of it. 

Kaiba didn’t reply, which only made Jounouchi feel worse. If he couldn’t joke about it, what could he do? 

Jou tried to focus on the positives, on what he would be getting out of the deal, but his mind was stuck and understandably so. How the hell had he even gotten here? What kind of messed up stars had aligned to drop him into this dumpster fire he called a life? It didn’t even feel real, honestly.

They pulled up to a nice-looking restaurant, and Kaiba handed his keys to a man in a suit as he stepped out. Jounouchi shouldered his backpack and followed. The interior of the restaurant was bright, clean, and modern, large window panels inlaid in the ceiling allowing the natural daylight to illuminate the dining area. Kaiba and Jou were lead to a small table in the corner, far away from the others; it was unlikely their conversation would be overheard.

As soon as the waiter filled their drinks and left with their lunch orders, Kaiba opened the snaps on his briefcase. “You may read over the documents if you like, however, I will also answer any questions you would have about them.”

Jounouchi accepted the stack of papers Kaiba handed to him and skimmed them with a critical eye. His reading comprehension scores had never been that good in school, and the documents were written in dense, formal language. A new problem began to take shape in his mind. He couldn’t understand what, exactly, he was agreeing to, and he couldn’t pay a lawyer to help him with it.

Seeming to sense his hesitation, Kaiba spoke up. “This is a variation on the standard contract for employment for my sponsored duelists. In truth, it’s almost identical to the one Mutou signed, except yours has this.” Kaiba pointed to one page in particular with a long, thin index finger. “This section details the administrative tasks expected of a personal assistant as well as requires you to go to releases, press events, conventions, banquets, and other industry events as part of my inner circle. Although you won’t really be doing much of the former, you’ll be doing quite a lot of the latter.”

Jounouchi opened his mouth, but it took him a few seconds until the right words came out. “Where’s the, ah, the part that says what you’re really hirin’ me for?”

Kaiba moved his finger down less than an inch on the page. “Duties related to maintenance of physical and mental wellness.”

“Will I have to do, y’know, stuff I don’t want to do?” 

“Clarify.”

Jounouchi swallowed thickly, feeling his face growing hot the more he thought about his phrasing. “Uh, well, you know, obviously I’m gonna make good on my end of the bargain here, but, like if I don’t want to do it, like, that day, or something?” God, he hoped he didn’t sound like as much of a virgin as he felt. He had a feeling Kaiba wouldn’t be so inclined to make this agreement with him if he knew. “Or if you wanna do something I don’t?”

Kaiba shook his head. “I won’t force you to do anything. However, I would think long and hard before refusing me. I won’t do anything you don’t want, but there will be consequences.”

God, what a freak. Still, it was comforting for Jou to know he would still have the power to say no to things. The wording in the contract was incredibly vague, which left him with the feeling that he still didn’t really know what he was signing himself up for. God, it was still so weird that he was seriously considering this at all. Maintenance of physical and mental health? What had his life become?

Kaiba was still talking. “There is also the non-disclosure agreement, which is a second document, which ensures confidentiality for both parties. You don’t talk about me with anyone, I don’t talk about you with anyone. Not the press, not other competitors, not other companies. No one.”

Jounouchi raised his brows. “Is this even legal?”

Kaiba mirrored his expression. “Your contract is legally binding, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Jounouchi scowled. “I meant, will we be breakin’ the law by doing this?”

“Jounouchi, don’t be naive.” Kaiba leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “When you’re as rich as I am, something like the law is not a concern.”

Yuugi was wrong, Jounouchi thought, Kaiba hadn’t changed. 

“If you’re worried, don’t be.” Kaiba rolled his eyes. “I don’t benefit if you go to prison, mutt.”

“Can’t blame me for not wantin’ to put it past you.” Jounouchi rolled his eyes as he turned the page over. He felt his mouth go dry as he began reading, temporarily rendered speechless by shock.

“Your compensation,” Kaiba said smugly, “You should be proud, Jounouchi. You’ll be the highest-paid duelist sponsored by Kaiba Corp.”

Jou couldn’t believe the figures he was reading. It would be way more than enough to cover his monthly rent. God, he’d be able to have a savings account. He’d be able to go out to eat at restaurants. He could replace his sneakers, his bicycle tires, and get internet service back all in the same month and still have money leftover. 

The waiter brought their meals, but for once, Jounouchi didn’t have much of an appetite. “Kaiba…,” he said, sort of cautiously, “I just, I still don’t understand. Why me? Why all this?” He gestured at the paperwork in front of him. “Why not just download one of those dating apps or go to a bar or somethin’?”

Kaiba looked at him as if he’d suddenly grown a second head. “I should think not,” he replied stiffly. 

Receiving no further clarification, Jounouchi began to pick at his meal as he stared down at the dotted line where he was expected to put his signature within the next few minutes. “You ever tried meditatin’?”

“Are you attempting to talk me out of sponsoring you?” Kaiba sounded incredulous.

Jounouchi shook his head rather violently. “Nothin’ like that! I guess I’m just,-” he paused, searching for words, “I’m just not sure why you’d go to all this trouble just to get laid. I mean, it’s costing you a fortune.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “If you must press the issue,” he began disdainfully, “I’m also making an investment in you. Loathe as I am to admit it, you have had success in the past at cultivating a following. Your numbers during Battle City were respectable. Whether that was proximity to Yuugi or your own merit remains to be seen. Regardless, I’m sure I’ll be able to turn some kind of profit on you. So don’t flatter yourself.”

“God, you’re such a stuck-up prick, you know that, Kaiba?”

“And you’re walking on thin fucking ice.” Kaiba leaned in close, levelling a chilling glare at Jou. “I won’t tolerate you speaking to me with disrespect. Understand that, when you sign this document, you are mine to do with and speak to how I see fit. And you will sign it. You really don’t have a choice. This is more money than any company will ever offer a professional duelist. You walk away from this, you’re walking away from the best deal of your life.”

“So that’s what this is really about,” Jounouchi said darkly, “Power. Controlling me.”

“Everything is about power.”

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes. Kaiba was looking at him with that insufferable smirk that had always pushed his buttons in the past. Every single feature of Kaiba’s face was mocking him: his quirked lips, the angle of his chin, the tilt of his head, a single raised eyebrow, and those cold, blue eyes made him feel uncomfortably exposed. This would be the part where he snapped back, where they started yelling and then everything blew up, just like it had in Kaiba’s office the other day. It irritated the shit out of him, to think that Kaiba had won over him, but if nothing else, the years had made Jounouchi Katsuya just a bit more patient than before. He could grin and bear this, just as he’d weathered his old job and his drafty apartment. Kaiba was right; Jounouchi would be an idiot to walk away from this deal. With this kind of money, he could work for less than a year for KC before having the means to find a different, less obnoxious sponsor.

He picked up the pen and signed his name in thick, dark lettering. Then, he returned to his meal. Calmly, like he hadn’t just signed away his life. After a moment, he looked up from his plate into Kaiba’s eyes, and that was certainly a payoff he could live with. Jounouchi suppressed a smile. Kaiba looked dumbstruck, his lips parted and his eyes wide. When he noticed Jounouchi noticing, he composed himself, sliding that awful smirk back into place. “And the non-disclosure,” he said, sliding that stack of paper out of his briefcase and passing it towards Jou, “This will ensure you don’t go telling any of your loser friends about-,”

“Can’t see them caring,” Jounouchi interrupted, affecting boredom as he signed.

Kaiba made a “hmph” noise as he gathered the paperwork back up. “Well, good. I’ll pass this over to my legal team, but allow me to congratulate you, Jounouchi Katsuya.” He stuck his hand out across the table, the angle a bit awkward as he kept his elbow high to avoid the dishes. “Welcome to Kaiba Corporation.”

Jounouchi shook his hand mutely, genuinely unsure of what to say in reply. And then, unsure of what would come next. Kaiba had to return to work, but would Jounouchi go with him? When would his, erm, duties begin? Jounouchi looked at Kaiba and tried to imagine what he would look like naked, but he couldn’t. Kaiba was just so stoic, so untouchable. He was a non-sexual entity in his mind. The thought of Seto Kaiba with his dick hard was, well, it wasn’t really a thought at all. But he would find out soon enough, wouldn’t he?

Jounouchi’s thoughts kept him distracted enough that when Kaiba started talking again, he jumped a bit in surprise. But Kaiba wasn’t talking to him, he was speaking into his cell phone. Jounouchi tuned back out, instead resolving to enjoy his lunch while he still could, until Kaiba eventually addressed him, informing him that he’d cancelled his afternoon meetings in favor of helping to secure a work wardrobe for Jounouchi. They would be going suit shopping, apparently, because part of Jounouchi’s job was now making appearances as Kaiba’s personal attendant - his new official job title. Jounouchi couldn’t really think of a reason not to. After all, he didn’t own a suit anymore. He’d grown out of the one he’d worn at graduation, or rather shrunk out of. He’d been fit and well-fed in school, but now his clothes were all varying degrees of baggy. 

The ride to the shops was uneventful. Kaiba drove and Jounouchi stared out the window. It was incredibly awkward, but Jounouchi was determined to ignore the feeling. He chose instead to focus on the overwhelming positives. He was a freakin’ duelist again! A KC duelist, no less! KC sponsorships were coveted in the professional circuit because pretty much no one had one. Kaiba hand-selected his duelists because he didn’t just give them KC swag to use in games. No, being sponsored by Kaiba Corp. meant helping develop and test products, as well. He would be part of Kaiba’s development team now, responsible for not only playing the game but improving it, too. The kind of access that afforded him to the game was staggering. He felt important, he felt influential. He felt good about himself.

This came at an obvious cost, though, and Jounouchi’s thoughts never strayed far from the clear elephant in the room: when would he be expected to do stuff to Kaiba? Should he start by kissing him? Would Kaiba even want that in public, even if they were in his car? His mind was spinning with uncertainty, having never even been in a romantic relationship before, let alone a sexual one.

“Follow my lead.”

The words, almost a direct answer to his question, startled Jounouchi for a moment. He looked around, noticing that the car had stopped and was idling in front of a promenade lined with shops. A footman opened his for for him with a white-gloved hand, and Jou stepped out to meet Kaiba, who was already waiting impatiently on the curb. As soon as Jou was with him, he spun on his heel and all but stalked into the nearest store. Jounouchi followed as quickly as he could without outright jogging after Kaiba. 

His annoyance was quickly dispelled and replaced with deep-seated anxiety as soon as he crossed the threshold. Everything was shimmering with overt luxury and expensiveness, right down to the very modern-looking mannequins who were dressed better than Jounouchi had ever been in his entire life. The racks were strangely sparse, each display only holding a few pieces in each design. Where Jounouchi normally bought clothes, the racks were always overstuffed with merchandise, bulked out displays showing affordable clothing arranged in pre-made outfits which took all the guesswork out of fashion. Here, though, he was utterly lost in the strange minimalism, albeit not for long. They were immediately approached by a salesman who chatted with Kaiba for a moment before approaching Jounouchi with a thin, cloth measuring tape.

“Hold out your arms, darling,” the man purred.

Jounouchi knew he’d pulled a face because the man laughed charmingly. He obediently held out his arms for his measurements. “What are we looking for today, gentlemen?”

Kaiba answered with his standard brand of professionalism. “Three suits: one gray, one black, one colored. Five dress-shirts, three ties, two pairs of shoes.”

“Accessories?”

“Tie clip, cufflinks, black dress socks.” He gazed critically at Jou for a moment. “Wallet and money clip.”

The salesman nodded, slipping his tape measure away. “Would either of you two care for any refreshments before we start making magic?”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “Just do your job.”

Jounouchi smiled apologetically at the poor guy. “I’ll take somethin’,” he said obligingly, “You guys do hot tea?”

“Of course,” the man said, smiling brightly at Jounouchi, “I’ll grab that for you, no problem. Just have a seat over there, and I’ll be right back.”

Jounouchi did as he was told, taking a seat on a high-backed chair and watching the salesman scurry away. “You don’t have to be so mean to people, Kaiba.”

Kaiba sat down on a low couch, crossing his legs and his arms in one graceful movement. “Hmph.”

In spite of himself, Jounouchi found himself smiling at Kaiba. “Do you get your suits here?” 

Kaiba looked surprised to be asked. He nodded a few times. 

“It’s nice in here. Really fancy. I’ve never been in anywhere that even comes close.”

“Unsurprising,” Kaiba said, but it wasn’t pitched as an insult the way his comments typically were. It was insulting on its face, but contextually it just made sense. “It’s too expensive, if you ask me, but they do the best fits in the city.”

“High praise! Thank you, Mr. Kaiba!”

The salesman was back, skirting around Kaiba’s couch to hand Jounouchi his tea. Kaiba scowled, saying nothing, but the damage had been done: he’d been caught saying something nice. Jounouchi tried not to laugh, settling for a shit-eating grin directed at Kaiba. 

“So, let’s start with the cuts, shall we?”

Jounouchi spent the next twenty minutes trying on more clothing than he ever had before. He’d figured a suit was a suit, but evidently he’d never been more wrong about anything, ever, in his life. There were so many different styles of pants, shirts, and jackets to try on, and not all of the combinations worked together. It was sort of like fusion summoning, except even that simile couldn’t help Jounouchi to decipher just how the salesman knew what went with what. Kaiba seemed to know, as well, shaking or nodding his head every time Jounouchi emerged in something new. Kaiba and the salesman did not always agree, either, but eventually they settled on something, to Jounouchi’s great relief. 

But when God closes one can of worms, he opens another. Just when Jounouchi had thought he could put his jeans back on, the salesman announced they would still need to sort out the color of his third suit, something that evidently depended on a number of seemingly unrelated factors like his hair color, skin tone, and something about the seasons? Jounouchi was baffled, but Kaiba seemed to understand the seemingly-arbitrary importances. His blue eyes settled on Jounouchi’s for a long, heart-pounding moment before suggesting burgundy.

Kaiba left to sort out the payment with a second salesperson while the one that had been helping them finished up some final measurements on Jounouchi. He was sticking pins in the sleeves and waistline of a suit jacket Jounouchi was modeling when he said, “God, you’re so lucky.”

“Me? Why?” Jounouchi asked, confused.

“Uh, duh,” the salesman said with a roll of his eyes, “Your daddy is blowing some major money on you. I would kill for a man that generous. And young!”

Jounouchi’s mouth fell open. “He ain’t my daddy,” he protested, keeping his voice hushed in case anyone overheard.

The salesman winked conspiratorially. “Sweetheart, he’s buying you, like, thousands of dollars worth of clothes, and I could cut this sexual tension with a freakin’ knife.”

“What’s that got to do with it?”

The salesman fixed him with a sort-of pitying smile. “Is your thing with him new?”

Jounouchi’s eyes widened a bit, feeling fear creep into him. Hadn’t Kaiba just made him sign some shit that would get him, like, thrown in jail for telling people about them? How had this guy just guessed they had a thing going on? 

Kaiba came back then, saving Jounouchi from having to say more. He was carrying a single, white paper shopping bag with cord handles. “We’re leaving.” 

Jounouchi was grateful for the excuse, saying a quick thank-you to the still-grinning salesman as he scurried out the door after Kaiba. “How come you only have one bag? They don’t all fit in there, do they?” 

Kaiba looked at him with his usual “you’re such an idiot” glare, but then he dropped it, as if something about Jounouchi’s face shook him out of being a huge asshole. It was with a passive expression of neutrality that he opened Jounouchi’s door for him and explained, “They make every suit custom to your measurements. Surely, you noticed that everything you tried on was too large for you?”

Jounouchi waited until Kaiba got in on his side of the car to reply, absently wondering where Kaiba’s civility had come from but deciding not to waste the opportunity by asking. “Not really. Guess I’m used to wearing stuff that doesn’t fit. A lot of my stuff used to be Honda’s, and he’s bigger than me.”

When Kaiba didn’t reply, Jounouchi continued, somewhat defensively filling the silence he perceived was probably judgemental. “No sense in Honda’s old stuff going to waste when he gets new stuff. I’m sure you probably just throw things out like it’s no big deal, though.”

Still, Kaiba remained silent. Jounouchi figured he hadn’t recognized it as an insult, which was probably a blessing in disguise. Yuugi had told him to be nice to Kaiba, and heck, it had gotten him pretty far in the past forty-eight hours. Still, being in Kaiba’s presence and not fighting with him was like ignoring an itch. He busied himself by looking through the bag, but everything in it was wrapped in white tissue and sealed with gold tape. Probably his new wallet and all that other unnecessary-sounding stuff Kaiba had ordered.

“Yuugi told you I’ve changed,” Kaiba said suddenly, “What did he mean by that?”

Jounouchi, surprised by the abrupt turn in conversation and with no prepared answer, settled for an intelligent-sounding, “What?”

“Back in my office, you said Yuugi had told you I’ve changed,” Kaiba pressed. 

“I guess,” Jounouchi said noncommittally, then lapsed into guilt-ridden silence. Kaiba really seemed like he wanted to talk about this, but Jou had no idea what to say about it. Had he witnessed a change in Kaiba? His mind flitted back to the store, to the salesman’s confession of envy at the thousand-dollar suits. “I mean, you’re not exactly bein’ nice to me, considering everything you do is for yourself, but it still feels like you’re bein’ nice to me. So I guess that counts.”

Kaiba chuckled under his breath. “Everything I do is for myself?”

“Well, yeah, you’re the one who said everything is about power and how you’re only helping me so you can make money off me.” Jounouchi shrugged.

“That’s just good business, Jounouchi.”

“I’m not, like, offended or anything. I get it,” Jou insisted, rolling his eyes, “But you have to admit to yourself that’s not much of a change from the old Kaiba.”

Kaiba tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve done it for Mokuba’s sake. Taking control of Kaiba Corp., building my gaming empire, it’s all for him. I don’t want him to life the kind of life I’ve lived. But when your field of vision is as broad as mine is, it can be easy to lose sight of things. Things like kindness, empathy.”

“Why are you tellin’ me this?” Jounouchi asked.

“Because I want you to know,” Kaiba answered honestly. He glanced over at Jounouchi before looking back to the road, shifting his shoulders so that his bones popped. 

Jounouchi continued to look at Kaiba, and he got the strangest sense that maybe Kaiba wanted Jounouchi to believe he’d changed. More importantly, Jounouchi reasoned, Kaiba wanted to convince Kaiba that he’d changed. But why? Jounouchi had never known Kaiba to think of himself as anything less than perfect. Something had changed, certainly, but he didn’t think it was what Kaiba was hoping for. 

They pulled up to Jounouchi’s apartment building, and Kaiba left the engine running, staring straight ahead as he waited for Jounouchi to get out. Jounouchi was conflicted. Did he thank Kaiba? Should he, like, kiss him goodbye, or something? They weren’t dating, obviously, but at least Jounouchi sort of knew the conventions of dating relationships. 

“Uh, thanks for taking me to get my suits,” he tried, chuckling awkwardly, “I wouldn’t have known what to get if I’d gone by myself.”

Kaiba nodded, still staring straight ahead. “I will have a car sent for you at seven o’clock tonight. You will come to my home to perform your job function, and then you will be brought back here. Tomorrow morning, wear whatever business clothing you have when you report to Kaiba Corp. headquarters at eight-thirty sharp.” 

Jounouchi stood, slack-jawed, as Kaiba drove away. The guy was out of his damn mind! Kaiba, his employer, was clinically insane. He had to be, to just rattle off something so important, so sensitive, like he was dictating any other job. Jounouchi was forced to confront, now more than ever, that sex didn’t mean anything to Kaiba, whereas it meant so much more to him. 

The fact that he’d sold out these beliefs for a dueling career was starting to press in on him, with nothing to distract him from the steady march of the clock towards seven. He got out his old Duel Monsters cards, practicing his shuffling and arranging them by type and then by power as he forced himself to focus on said dueling career, which he now effectively had again. A Kaiba Corp. sponsorship, all his. The highest paid duelist Kaiba Corp. was currently sponsoring: Jounouchi Katsuya. Considering Yuugi was a sponsored duelist, that was a major achievement. And he hadn’t earned it, not really. Although, he could comfort himself with the knowledge that he would earn the honor in time. If there was one thing Jounouchi Katsuya knew how to do, it was work. 

Sooner than he was comfortable with, it was ten minutes to seven, and through the single window in his studio apartment he could see the KC car come gliding to a stop in front of his building. He took a deep, calming breath, smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt, checked his teeth in the mirror, and left before he could chicken out. His feet pounded the stairs leading down to the street, as if by making the noise he could dispel some of his nerves. No such luck, however, as one glance at the uniformed man beckoning him into the backseat of the goddamn limousine quickened his pulse and made his fingers shake as they clutched his phone too tightly. 

Jounouchi had never been to Kaiba’s house before, so he had no idea what to expect. It was in the suburbs of Domino, the nice ones where all the rich people lived. That was not exactly surprising to Jounouchi, who had never known Kaiba to pull his punches while mocking Jounouchi’s financial situation in the past. A man like Kaiba wouldn’t be caught dead living beneath his means. Kaiba’s place was, in fact, surrounded by many other estate-like properties with long driveways and trees planted to prevent them from being seen from the road. The driveway they turned onto was long and winding as it slowly climbed a small hill to the top, where a tall and stately building stood. It looked like new construction to Jounouchi, who had worked on several projects like this one during summer vacations. It couldn’t have been more than a year old, judging by how the grass and landscaping looked. Had Kaiba moved here recently? 

The driver let Jounouchi into the house and took him up to the third floor and into a bedroom, instructing him to wait there until Kaiba arrived. Evidently, he’d been caught up in the office but was on his way home. Jounouchi balked as the door was closed in his face. God, this was really happening, wasn’t it? Kaiba was going to show up, and they were going to do it, here, in this incredibly foreign place, no exit in sight. Jounouchi didn’t even remember how to leave the house; he was trapped, completely at Kaiba’s mercy. 

Jounouchi was grateful to find an en suite bathroom to throw up in, emptying the admittedly sparse contents of his stomach into the pristine porcelain toilet. He couldn’t do this. He could not go through with this. What had he been thinking, agreeing to do this? He’d taken Kaiba’s money and his suits, and he had nothing in return to offer. Kneeling on the floor, stripped of his false bravado, Jounouchi put his head in his hands. 

He really couldn’t imagine what went through Kaiba’s head when he eventually came home and opened the door to find Jounouchi in that position. If it had been disgust, he didn’t show it much. Instead, Kaiba helped Jounouchi up off of his feet and guided him back into the bedroom. 

“What’s wrong?”

Jounouchi opted for truncated honesty. “Nervous.”

Kaiba’s look was unreadable. “I’m having dinner sent up for me. Do you watch television?”

“Uh, sometimes.”

Kaiba went and retrieved a remote control, handing it to him. He gestured to the flatscreen on the wall. “Put on whatever you like.”

Jounouchi clicked experimentally, and the device instantly popped into life, defaulting to a news program. Jounouchi frowned slightly, allowing himself to be distracted as he flipped through the channels. He barely ever watched television, in truth, because he didn’t have access to one. He eventually found and settled on the dueling network because what else did he have in common with Kaiba? It was showing old reruns of some American tournament Jounouchi had already seen with Yuugi. 

The game on right now was a semi-final, and it didn’t take long for Jounouchi to become engrossed in it, following the strategies implemented with a critical eye as he tuned out the sounds of Kaiba eating in the background. Both competitors were not that great, which made sense because the tournament was in America. American gamers tended to play with a recklessness that even Jounouchi wouldn’t condone. Both duelists had strategies that were rather hard to predict, and it was causing their duel to play out almost unwatchably-sloppy. After one particularly messy play, Jounouchi couldn’t stop the barking laugh that escaped him, which made him feel self-conscious for breaking the weird silence between himself and Kaiba. “Can you believe that play?” he asked to alleviate some of the tension. 

“This is an absolute dumpster fire of a match,” Kaiba agreed snidely, “I was invited to this particular tournament, but I sent a proxy. I wanted no part in this.”

“So, you never seen this one before?”

Kaiba shook his head. “I didn’t think I was missing much.”

“This is a mockery of gambling strategy in general,” Jounouchi quipped, borrowing some of Kaiba’s own snide attitude, “I am personally offended.”

“As well you should be,” Kaiba agreed, “At least, with you, it’s- Oh, come on now!”

“Jesus!” Jounouchi yelled, gesturing towards the television set, “Face up?! Are you out of your mind?!”

Kaiba bent both arms at the elbow, hands flexed like claws on either side of his face. “You moron, you have no traps down!!”

“Sorry, what’d you say?” Jounouchi asked, smiling sheepishly at Kaiba, “At least with me, it’s…?”

Kaiba wiped a hand down his face before turning his head towards Jounouchi. “At least with your strategy, it’s an actual strategy. Your luck cards are decent, and the way you play shows you think through the risks and gambles.” 

Jounouchi wasn’t sure what to do with his face. Kaiba, complimenting him? “Thanks. I always thought your Virus deck was pretty cool. Do you still use that one?”

Kaiba shook his head. “Sometimes. I’m mostly running my Dragon deck in tournaments now.”

“Your Dragon deck is so OP, dude.”

Kaiba smirked. “The perks of running a game company.”

“Yeah,” Jounouchi agreed somewhat lazily, “But it doesn’t have a whole lot of nuance to it, does it?”

Kaiba inclined his head much like he’d done the other day in his office, his long neck tilting, exposing himself to Jou. “How so?”

Jounouchi licked his lips. “Well, like, your Dragon beatdown strategy has some cool spells and fusions, yeah, but it’s not, like, unexpected, I guess? Like, yeah, the point of Duel Monsters is to defeat your opponents deck, but using muscle and strong attacks to do it seems kinda, I dunno, obvious?”

Kaiba rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “I suppose that’s true, but dragons have always been my signature. It’s a deck I enjoy playing with. The Virus deck was more unexpected, like you said, more to do with crippling my opponent’s deck than strengthening my own, but it wasn’t as true to who I am, I don’t think. It was me, but it wasn’t as me as the Dragon deck is.” Kaiba looked back at Jounouchi, a light flush dusting his cheeks. “Sorry, does that make sense?”

Jounouchi snickered. “The great Seto Kaiba, apologizing to me.” He was overcome with the urge to stick his tongue out at Kaiba, but he didn’t. “It makes sense, ya nerd. My gambling deck is who I am. Taking risks, bein’ the underdog, using weaker monsters to win.” He shrugged. “I guess it’s not as flatterin’ for my ego as having a Dragon deck, but I relate to my cards.”

Kaiba rose and crossed the room, joining Jounouchi on the bed, and just like that, he was brought back to the screeching clarity of why he was really here. “Do you feel better now?” Kaiba asked.

Jounouchi’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth. “Yes.”

“Good. Touch me.”

Jounouchi stared at Kaiba. Kaiba stared back, offering no further instructions. His gaze was piercing in its intensity, like every second he continued to focus his gaze was another layer of Jounouchi stripped away. This was it, wasn’t it? This was the moment where he would kiss Kaiba. It seemed impossible yet so simple at the same time. Such a small gesture, really, to touch someone else, and yet what an enormous thing. Jou reached up with gently trembling fingers to Kaiba’s collar, grasping the material tightly, and tugged him down, bringing their faces together. He kissed him so lightly they were almost not even touching at all, just a few featherlight pecks to test the waters. Kaiba did not move a muscle, having gone rigid almost as soon as Jounouchi had reached out for him. 

Jounouchi pressed a little harder, plying Kaiba’s unmoving lips with his own. He had no idea what he was doing, that would be abundantly clear to both of them, but he tried his best to squash down his unease. Kaiba would surely sense his insecurity, but would he care?

He attempted to put his tongue in Kaiba’s mouth, but the other’s teeth were in the way. Kaiba’s jaw was clenched tight, which made Jounouchi incredibly worried he was doing badly. He put his hands on either side of Kaiba’s face, curling his pinky and index fingers inwards to massage the muscles just underneath Kaiba’s ears. That seemed to work, as Kaiba’s mouth opened with an almost audible click, like he had just found the secret button to open a gate in an RPG. His tongue now fully in Kaiba’s mouth, he realized he didn’t know what to do with it. It didn’t necessarily feel more pleasurable than regular kissing had, but it was supposed to be better, wasn’t it? Was he supposed to wiggle it around a little, maybe touch Kaiba’s tongue with his? It would have helped if Kaiba had been giving him any kind of feedback, but he was just sitting there, letting Jounouchi do whatever he wanted. Wasn’t Kaiba supposed to be the expert, the one in control here? 

Jounouchi pressed his tongue to Kaiba’s and sort of swirled them together. As soon as he did so, he felt a pleasant clench low in his belly, his libido rousing at the sensation. Okay, that wasn’t so bad. He retreated his tongue, closing the kiss before it could get too sloppy. He pressed his tongue again against Kaiba’s mouth, and this time tried to coax Kaiba’s tongue to come to him. It sort of worked. Kaiba was just so stiff, so mechanical with his movements. He wasn’t really leaning into this at all. Jounouchi broke the kiss, nipping at Kaiba’s lower lip with his teeth as he contemplated his next move.

“Do you want me to…?” He trailed off, his gaze falling to Kaiba’s lap and then snapping back up in embarrassment. 

“Yes,” Kaiba replied immediately, voice sounding a bit strained.

Hm. Okay. No longer feeling too nervous but still uncertain of how to go about things, Jounouchi knelt down in front of Kaiba as he attempted to undo the shiny silver buckle of his belt. It was flat, brushed metal that had no obvious clasping mechanism, and Jounouchi struggled for a moment before he figured out how it worked. As he undid the zipper, he felt Kaiba’s hands thread into his hair. 

Jounouchi freed Kaiba’s dick from the folds of his clothes. In spite of his lack of responses during kissing, this part of his body was betraying him rather obviously. Through his embarrassment, Jounouchi felt pleased that his attempts at kissing had been enjoyable for Kaiba. Emboldened, he gave Kaiba’s dick a few experimental touches, but in this realm, he more or less knew what to do. He didn’t know specifically what Kaiba liked, but he had one, so how much different could it be than what he did to himself?

Jounouchi stood and moved to sit back down on the bed behind Kaiba, his back resting against the headboard. “Scoot back,” he instructed quietly, “Lean back into my chest.” Kaiba complied obediently, settling himself against Jounouchi and resting his head back on his shoulder. From this angle, Jounouchi could use the same grip he used on himself; he forced himself to focus on this point of familiarity as he began to stroke Kaiba to fullness. Kaiba’s breathing began coming out as shallow pants as his pleasure grew noticeably, his hot breath tickling the shell of Jounouchi’s ear. It felt good, Jounouchi knew it did, because Kaiba was telling him so, mumbling nonsense syllables into his neck as his hands clenched and unclenched in the fabric of Jounouchi’s jeans.

This was so incredibly bizarre, but at the same time, Jounouchi felt the pressure mounting in his own cock, felt himself growing hard, too. The friction of Kaiba’s backside squirming against him was too good to deny, and God, Kaiba had finally decided to get involved, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to a sensitive spot on his neck. Oh, shit, Jounouchi was in trouble, but he couldn’t stop himself from grinding up into Kaiba, and when they both moaned, it sounded so stupidly right to his lust-addled mind. Kaiba’s hands were on him, the angle awkward, but his fingertips dug into the flesh of his thighs hard enough to hurt. Jounouchi moaned again, this time a vague attempt at Kaiba’s name, and began thrusting upwards into the curve of Kaiba’s ass. 

Jesus, he shouldn’t be this into it, but he couldn’t help it. Jounouchi stroked harder, pumping Kaiba’s cock and watching in fascination as precum spurted from the tip. Shit. Oh, god, that was hot as fuck. Jou knew Kaiba was already close, could tell by the way he was keening and growling, teeth biting at the flesh of Jounouchi’s neck like the contact could somehow keep him grounded as Jounouchi’s touches shot his mind further into the stratosphere. Untethered was really the only word for it: Kaiba, flushed and wanton, writhing and jerking in Jounouchi’s arms, desperately pleading for a release he needed so bad he’d die.

Jounouchi didn’t give it to him right away, gripping the base of his cock and pumping slow and hard, keeping his orgasm at bay for a few more moments. He stared in hazy fascination at the tip of Kaiba’s dick, large and flush and leaking pre-cum. Jounouchi’s own pleasure twisted within him, his hips bumping up into Kaiba’s ass entirely of their own volition now, his body responding to Kaiba’s like it was the only thing it knew how to do. He realized he wanted more, wanted so badly for their skin to touch. He wanted his dick in Kaiba’s mouth, wanted it bad enough it hurt. There was a gorgeous flush rising on Kaiba’s face, his normally-composed features thrown into wonderful, ecstatic contortions. Teeth biting his lip, his tongue on Jounouchi’s neck, Kaiba was the picture of a man pushed over the edge of his sanity and control, and Jou fucking loved it.

He looked hot. So goddamn hot, and right then and there, Jounouchi wanted to see him cum. He reached down the hand that had been stroking his length and used it to cup Kaiba’s balls, giving them a few gentle squeezes before sliding all the way up to the tip and back down. Kaiba grunted heavily, gripping Jounouchi’s knees like they were the only thing anchoring him to reality, and then he was coming, thrusting into Jounouchi’s hand and whimpering into his neck. Jou, stunned, stroked him gently through his orgasm. He was still hard, his erection still pressing up into Kaiba. And Kaiba, well, there was no other word for it, he was purring, soft noises too indistinct to make out but weirdly endearing all the same.

Jounouchi sat as long as he could until his own arousal became too much to ignore, and then he gently rolled Kaiba off of him with his mess-free hand and limped to the en suite bathroom. He shut the door to have a little privacy and braced his arm on the wall as he undid his own pants. He had a brief internal debate with himself before deciding “fuck it” and gripped himself with his messy hand, Kaiba’s cum acting a little like a lubricant as he smeared it on himself. Shit, okay, it felt good, the opaque liquid making his skin sticky but slick, and it didn’t take long before he was grunting through his own release. 

He made quick work of cleaning himself up and walked back into the bedroom. Kaiba was nowhere to be seen, and when Jounouchi experimentally opened the door that led to the hallway, the chauffeur from earlier was waiting to take him back home. Just like that, abrupt and without warning, Jounouchi was dismissed from his duties.

Surprised and vaguely offended, Jounouchi allowed himself to be led out of the house. The entire car ride back into Domino proper, he obsessed over every detail of the evening. Kaiba had been surprisingly nice to him, letting him work through his nerves by watching television like that. And the conversation they’d had was surprisingly civil. So why had he left the room, then, without so much as a goodbye or a thank you to Jou? It was weird, beyond weird, but considering the concept of the whole thing also transcended normal definitions of weird, Jounouchi supposed he couldn’t act too surprised. Still, he was hurt. 

Maybe Kaiba hadn’t liked it? That was possible, although unlikely. He’d gotten off, hadn’t he? Jounouchi was the furthest thing from an expert, but Kaiba had sure seemed into it at the time. But it had been very strange that he hadn’t really participated in the kiss or the sex. He’d just sat there the whole time, passively letting Jounouchi do what he wanted. Wasn’t this about what Kaiba wanted? Had he been nervous, too? It didn’t sound very Kaiba-like to be nervous, but then again, stranger things had happened.

There was one thing Jounouchi didn’t have to wonder about: he’d enjoyed himself. Hell, watching Kaiba writhe and moan under his touches like that was better than anything. He’d looked beautiful, almost. Softer than Jounouchi had ever seen Kaiba look before. He supposed that closed the case on his sexual orientation, more or less, which didn’t really bother him so much as the fact that it’d been Kaiba that led him to the conclusion. But even that, Jounouchi couldn’t say he was too upset over. His job description revolved around continuing to do those kinds of things to Kaiba, so it was a relief to find out he actually liked doing it. 

Maybe Kaiba would turn out to be not that bad, after all, like Yuugi said. He was rough around the edges, yeah, and incredibly socially awkward, but he wasn’t a total lost cause. In the car, Kaiba had confessed that he cared more about Mokuba than himself, and Jounouchi could relate to that. He’d sacrificed so much for his own sibling, and he would do it again in a heartbeat. Sure, Kaiba was a rich jerk, but anyone who cared about family like that had to have something good about their core.


	3. Friends New and Old

The next day, Jounouchi took the subway into center city and arrived at Kaiba Corp. earlier than he’d ever been present for anything other than school in his life. The woman at the reception desk eyed him uncertainly but not mistrustingly as she plugged his credentials into her computer before handing him a badge and a key card for the elevators and doors. Her mouth rounded into a perfect “o” shape before she stutteringly explained to him his card would be able to access most high-security locks in the building, including Seto Kaiba’s office. 

Deciding that’s where he would start, Jounouchi entered the elevator along with a few other employees. As it climbed the tower, everyone gradually migrated off until he was the only one left to arrive at the penthouse floor, just as he’d done with Yuugi the first time he’d been here. Now, even under entirely different circumstances, Jou was not feeling any less anxious. Though he was allowed to be there - technically required - he didn’t feel like he was supposed to be. The Kaiba Corp. building was like a kind of fortress, imposing and majestic, and being given access to the very heart of it, to Seto Kaiba himself, felt vaguely like committing a crime. 

Jounouchi tugged at the collar of his white button down, the black tie he’d put on making the fabric uncomfortably tight against his neck. He was dressed simply by virtue of having nothing else to wear, the Bergdorf suits not scheduled for delivery until the afternoon. He knew Kaiba would probably make a disparaging remark about his dress, but he was hopeful they’d soon be able to move past that. Scenes from the night before floated in his memory, the picture of Kaiba’s flushed face like an impression on his mind. Already, their relationship had be altered on a fundamental level, barreling straight past a point of no return into a great, wide unknown. And maybe that unknown involved Kaiba treating him as an equal, or at least less like the ground beneath his feet. He doubted it but hoped nonetheless.

He approached the desk, but the secretary wasn’t there. Jou floundered briefly before deciding on a course of action, raising his fist and knocking at the wide doors that bore the nameplate of his employer and rival. He heard Kaiba’s voice call out something, and it sounded just enough like “enter”, so he did, pushing the door aside a bit hesitantly as he stepped into the room. 

“Jounouchi,” Kaiba said without preamble, rising from his chair, “You’re on time.” It was a clear statement of fact with no vocal indicator of whether or not it was meant to be a compliment, but Jounouchi, never knowing Kaiba to have complimented anyone on anything before, took it as one. 

“First day, right? Gotta make a good impression!” Jounouchi declared, smiling the best smile he could muster for quarter after eight in the morning. “Not that I haven’t already, I mean, but you know.”

“Indeed.” The remark shifted something in Kaiba’s expression, crystallizing neutral arrogance into hard desire. He looked Jounouchi over before beckoning him forward with the crook of a finger.

Jounouchi swallowed the knot that was beginning to form in his throat and approached Kaiba, hands balled up into fists in his pocket. When he was within arm’s length, Kaiba reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, moving it up his neck to the back of his head. His fingers pressed lightly into the soft skin at the base of his skull, the pressure massaging away tension Jounouchi hadn’t been aware of holding. Kaiba applied a more direct pressure with the whole of his hand, guiding Jounouchi forward into his arms, and dipped his head down to press their lips together in a soft yet demanding kiss.

Jounouchi’s mind went quiet, the kind of quiet that is created after a gun has been fired. His world narrowed to the space between their bodies, and in that moment, he felt a sense of urgency within himself, his body pleading with his mind to step further into Kaiba, to be absorbed into the body and hands that felt so warm against his own skin. He fought it for the longest second of his life before relenting, his chest and hips making contact with Kaiba’s own in a single, electrifying movement. The jolt must have gone through Kaiba, too, for his grip on Jounouchi’s head tightened and was mirrored by a second at his waist, fingers clenching the cheap fabric of his dress shirt.

Jounouchi dipped and tilted his head, deepening their kiss and launching himself past the precipice of his self-control. The potent, amatory scent of Kaiba’s cologne filled his senses, that clean, carefully groomed masculinity causing the desire pooling in his stomach to rise up in his blood. It pulsed in his veins, it clouded his mind, and it drove him further into desire than he’d ever been before. It was like being on drugs; his mind felt addled, unable to comprehend anything except more.

Just as soon as it began, it was over, and Kaiba had pulled back just enough to lock their gazes. Jounouchi knew he probably looked dazed and embarrassed, but he was spared slightly by Kaiba turning away, moving to look out the large windows of his office a moment before he went and picked up an envelope on his desk, pressing it into Jounouchi’s pliant grip. 

Jounouchi slid his finger under the sealed lip just as Kaiba, in a low, gruff voice, intoned the words, “Your corp card”, the only semblance of a sentence he could seem to form. Indeed, the contents of the envelope was a shiny, silver credit card with the KC logo and his own name emblazoned on it. “It has a twenty thousand dollar limit, so don’t exceed that in any one month period. It is only to be used for business-related purchases, the explicit details of which are outlined in your hiring packet.”

Jounouchi couldn’t fathom how he could even theoretically spend twenty thousand dollars in one month, let alone on so-called business purchases. He flipped the card over and over in his hands, admiring the way the data strip on the back caught the light and the blinding shine of the letters spelling out his own name. He’d never owned anything so expensive in his life. He supposed he would be getting used to the feeling soon, but right now, it felt like a dream he knew he’d have no choice but to eventually wake up from. Odd to be viewing a relationship and a job with Kaiba as a dream come true, but here he was, card in hand with the bruised lips to prove it.

“I’ll show you to your desk,” Kaiba said, “Although, you won’t be spending much time there.”

“Why not?”

“Well, you’re not going to be here at the office most days, in truth,” Kaiba said, shrugging, “Only when I require you. Considering I already have an assistant who does my calendar, travel, and reservations, you will only be necessary for the more, erm, specific duties particular to your hiring.”

Feeling bold, Jounouchi hazarded a playful wink, “Am I necessary right now, Mr. Kaiba?”

Kaiba stopped short, looking like he’d been frozen in place until he whirled around on his heel to face Jounouchi. He studied him with narrowed eyes. Jounouchi continued to smile coyly. Sighing, Kaiba brushed a stray hair from his forehead. “Not right this very second, no, although you will be getting a look at the Duel Labs today.” Then, his face tightened, and he stepped back into Jounouchi’s personal space, his hands going to either side of Jounouchi’s head, the knuckles of his thumbs caressing the sensitive skin between his ears and cheekbones. He looked conflicted for a moment before saying, finally, “I had a good time last night, Jounouchi.”

Jou smiled clumsily. “You can call me Katsuya. I’d say we’re at that point, aren’t we?”

Kaiba shook his head. “You’re my employee. That kind of informal familiarity is just not work appropriate.”

Jounouchi’s eyebrows knit together in disbelief. “You’re kiddin’?”

Kaiba frowned back, removing his hands from Jounouchi’s face. 

Jounouchi wet his lips with his tongue, a slow movement that was tracked by Kaiba’s eyes with rapt attention. “Bein’ familiar with you is what I do as work, Mr. Kaiba,” he muttered, not knowing entirely what had come over him but determined to ride it out. After all, Kaiba had just given him a recurring blank check for twenty thousand dollars a month. The least he could do was live up to his end of the bargain. Again, images of last night flitted through his memory. Kaiba, demanding to be touched. Kaiba, whining hopelessly in his arms. Kaiba, cumming in his hand. “You’re not gonna make me sit through some boring video, are yah?” 

It was all he could think of to ask.

Jounouchi watched Kaiba swallow heavily, his Adam’s apple bobbing enticingly beneath his pale, clean-shaven skin. From this close, his nose almost touching that sensitive skin, Jounouchi could still smell the crisp, expensive perfume of Kaiba’s aftershave. It smelled like mint and cloves and masculinity, and in that moment, Jounouchi found to his own horror that he wanted nothing more than to taste it. His eyes searched Kaiba’s, not sure what he was looking for but somehow finding it nonetheless, and then his lips and teeth were on Kaiba, sucking at that skin that tasted exactly as good as it smelled. Neither was quite as good, however, as the absolute groan of satisfaction and longing that tore from Kaiba’s unwilling lips. Shaking hands gripped Jounouchi’s shoulders, nails digging into him and urging him on as he suckled at the knob of one of Kaiba’s collar bones. Kaiba’s cologne tasted like the tang of alcohol but also of the cloying musk of the scent, the delicate sweetness of his soft skin, and the sharp salt of his sweat. Jounouchi was hard in an instant, his hips canted forward into Kaiba’s so that neither could possibly ignore it. 

“When did you become so bold?” Kaiba protested, seeming to remember himself as he gripped Jounouchi’s wrists to prevent their descent into his pants. “I have work to get done this morning.”

It was strange to Jounouchi to hear those words come from Kaiba’s mouth. Well, not so much the words as the way they were spoken, defensive and pleading rather than the standard, cold reprimand. But there was no mistaking the heat behind Kaiba’s words, the deeply-rooted tug of libido that, in that moment, had reduced Seto Kaiba from top ten in the Forbes Global 500 to clay in Jounouchi’s hands. “Mr. Kaiba,” he repeated, liking the feeling of the formality on his tongue, “You can spare a few minutes to break in your new assistant, I think?”

Kaiba’s resolve didn’t crumble, nor did it collapse. Those words carry the implication that the event took place over a period of time. No, Kaiba’s resolve snapped, sudden and explosive, and Jounouchi was shoved roughly up against the thick wall of glass that served as the office window. He lost his breath but was given no opportunity to collect it as Kaiba’s lips descended over him, hungry and commanding. Jounouchi would have berated himself for goading Kaiba to this point if it didn’t feel exactly like everything he had been needing since he’d left Kaiba’s house the night before, like everything he hadn’t known he’d been denying himself all his life until now. All those fights when they could have been doing this, exchanging heated words instead of touches and spit and energy. His skin was hot; Kaiba’s hands felt like fire as they burned him in a complete dictionary definition of “everywhere”. It was as if something had overcome Kaiba, something primal and urgent; the same something that had overcome Jounouchi as well. It was deep and hungry, and it fairly crackled in the air around them. This was either sex or magic, and Jou hadn’t ruled out the possibility of it being both.

Jounouchi moaned as Kaiba pinched his nipples through the fabric of his dress shirt, agitating the sensitive tissue roughly. It was an erogenous zone he hadn’t even known about until the exact second he’d gasped for more. Fuck, but his pleasure was driving through him now, and he would last an embarrassingly short time unless he did something, quick. Desperately, he grabbed Kaiba’s hips and pressed them against his own, holding their bodies together steadily as he gasped for air that didn’t seem enough. The friction was wild, but at least it brought them close enough together to ground him. 

“I don’t have time to train you the way I’d like to now, you goddamn mongrel,” Kaiba growled into his ear, thrusting his hips to emphasize his words, “But your word choice is accurate; soon, I will break you in. Make you mine.” Then, Kaiba removed his hands from Jounouchi’s body, stepped away and back towards his desk. 

Jounouchi moved carefully, rolling his shoulders to pop the joints. His body was on fire, his face almost definitely beet red, and he was making a rather spectacular tent out of his dress pants. Self-consciously, he adjusted himself, nearly whimpering as his hand made contact through the fabric. He needed to get a hold of himself and fast. “I’m glad you, uh, you enjoyed last night, Kaiba.”

“Continue to call me Mr. Kaiba.” Icy blue eyes glanced over his shoulder. “I rather like how that sounds.”

Jounouchi fell back against the window, his back thudding on the glass. “Fuck.”

Kaiba arched an eyebrow, looking smug. “Seems I’m not the only one who likes to play with power, eh, Mutt? I will give you a few minutes of privacy to compose yourself - I have to head to a meeting, anyway.” He turned and headed for the door, adjusting his tie as he did so. Other than a slightly rumpled collar that he was actively smoothing the creases out of, Kaiba looked relatively unaffected by their contact. “Lock the door behind you when you leave. Check in with Chiro first, then go down to the Duel Labs.”

As soon as Kaiba had shut the door behind him, Jounouchi had freed himself from his dress pants and was pumping the length of himself desperately, his arm braced against the cold glass. Bashful fingers gently tweaked one nipple, and then he was coming. That was all it took, that and the words “Mr. Kaiba” echoing around the inside of his skull. 

Jounouchi stood still for several minutes, chest heaving air into his lungs and expelling it outwards with a kind of disbelieving perseverance.Then, he tucked himself back into his pants, used some tissues from a box on Kaiba’s desk to clean up the mess, and left the office. The desk by the door was occupied this time by a young woman with pin straight, dark hair pulled out of her face with a shiny metal clip. She turned to look at Jounouchi and smiled. “Mr. Jounouchi, I presume?” she asked, her voice high and clear like the ringing of a bell. 

Jou blushed a little, incredibly aware of what he’d just been doing. “Nice to meet you, uh-,”.

“Chiro,” she offered with a friendly smile, stretching her hand out to shake his, “I’m Mr. Kaiba’s personal assistant, and you are his new personal attendant. That means we are going to get to know each other well, I think.”

Her language was formal and slightly stilted, little pauses taken between words betraying her non-native speech. “You’re not from Japan?” he remarked without thinking, then blushed deeper as he realized his rudeness, “I’m sorry, I only meant-!”

Chiro was laughing. “It is okay, Mr. Jounouchi! No, I am not Japanese. I am from Beijing originally. How could you tell?”

Jounouchi smiled bashfully. “Me neither, but I’m sure you could tell that, too. Or, if you couldn’t, you’ll figure it out soon, yeah?”

Now it was Chiro’s turn to blush. “I do not like to be rude, but your hair-,” she pointed at his head as she spoke, “It is not naturally so light, is it?”

“Yeah, I’m from America,” Jounouchi said with a shrug, “New York raised ‘til I was around five or six, I guess, ‘til my parents split up and I moved here with my dad.”

Chiro’s mouth formed a little “o”. “That is incredible, Mr. Jounouchi!”

“Yeah, I mean, I dunno about that,” Jou said shyly, rubbing the back of his head. “Anyway, Kaiba said to check in with you or somethin’ before I go down to Duel Labs?”

“Oh, yes!” Chiro said, clapping her hands once before turning to her computer. “Mr. Kaiba requested I give you digital access to his calendar. I have already merged the pertinent appointments to your own personal calendar. This way, you can know where he is, where he is supposed to be, and which events you are to also attend.”

Jounouchi didn’t completely follow all of that, but he supposed he would be able to take a look at these calendars later. He accepted a sleek, thin laptop from her as well as a smaller device made entirely of glass. “This is the newest model of the KC personal device. From it, you will be able to make and take calls and messages, manage your mail and calendar, and much, much more! I am certain you will have everything explained better down in Duel Labs, but-,” she held up her own glass device in her hand, showing him a picture of a tiny, pink Kuriboh that was bouncing around, “They really are quite wonderful!”

Jounouchi looked on with bemused delight as Chiro made her virtual pet dance around on the screen, petting it lovingly with her finger and feeding it little digital treats. “Hey, little guy,” he greeted with a chuckle. “So, what, it’s like a smartphone?”  
Chiro nodded, giving one last pet to her Kuriboh before swiping three fingers across the screen, which caused the screen to go dark. “Here,” she offered, “I will show you how to turn yours on before you leave.”

Jounouchi decided he really liked Kaiba’s personal assistant. She reminded him a bit of Shizuka, in a way, with her childlike delight at her virtual pet and her easy, friendly manner. However, Jounouchi had to assume she had a Mai side to her as well, being Kaiba’s personal assistant. Kaiba didn’t like soft, friendly people unless they could also perform to his standards, be bossy like him, and take no shit like him. 

He also liked Kaiba’s personal assistant because she was cute. And how comforting, how bolstering that thought was, in this whirlwind of scary and new emotions, to find a familiar feeling, the feeling of having a crush on a cute girl. 

The rest of the day was, in no particular order, incredibly fun, exciting, confusing, and intimidating. The KC Duel Labs were enormous, built under the ground in the basement of the tower. Jounouchi was shown how to work the computers that ran the duel tech and given a brand new duel disk that hadn’t even been released to the public yet. It, like his new phone, was made entirely of glass with superficial indentations where the cards would go. He played against some simulations and lost to them all, which was a little humiliating, but his skills were really rusty. Plus, it didn’t help that the simulations used a lot of brand-new cards, whereas Jounouchi had built his from old standards he actually knew how to use. The technicians were all smirking at him, but Jou vowed to have the last laugh, vowed to prove that old dogs could learn new tricks. He’d beat all their asses before the week was out. 

Lunch was brought down for them, sent by Chiro as a welcoming gesture for Jounouchi. That seemed to warm the technicians up to him a bit, and they all attempted to make friendly conversation with him as they ate their free meal, courtesy of his presence. They told him in greater detail about the new cards the simulation had used and even downloaded a spreadsheet to his laptop with every new release in the past few years to help him brush up. Jounouchi had them show him how to work his new phone, even helping him open up and navigate his calendars. Jou was surprised by the sheer number of events taking place he was expected to attend, but the techs assured him that was typical of Kaiba’s schedule, to be so jammed full of appearances and craziness. Jounouchi felt nerves creeping into his bones as he realized there was one already scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. He hoped his suits would arrive in time. 

A few more duels that afternoon helped him burn off that nervous energy, and when he finally won one of them, the techs cheered for his success. He felt good, better than he had in a long while. And this time, when Kaiba sent him a text telling him where and when to be for dinner that night, it was with the foreign feeling of hopeful anticipation in his gut that he sent his reply.

xxxXxxxXxxx

The following afternoon, Jou’s new clothing was delivered to the office, and he only just had time to change into one of his new suits before Kaiba came crashing into his office like a hurricane, barking orders and insults alike to the motley of staffers that trailed in his wake. He didn’t stop what he was doing, but his eyes lingered on the pile of clothing Jounouchi had left on the edge of the desk. Jounouchi blushed, realizing he probably should have gone into the bathroom to change his clothes for the appearance they were going to, but the suits in the soft, tissue paper wrappings looked far too fine for something like that. His own clothes, his old clothes, now they could’ve been tossed onto any old floor, and it wouldn’t have mattered to him one bit. He’d never been particular about that kind of thing in the past. 

Jounouchi ran his fingers gently, testingly along the hems of the sleeves. He’d never owned anything as fine, nor had he felt so well-dressed, in his life. There were three suits in total, just as Kaiba had ordered, but Jounouchi already had a favorite. He was wearing it now. The thick yet movable burgundy fabric clung to him like it truly belonged to him, like it existed solely to make him look good. And it did, technically, but Jounouchi had never believed that of any article of clothing before. It was absolutely perfect for him; he was surprised at how deeply he believed that statement. He’d never particularly liked suits before. They always looked so constraining to him, so stiff and formal. As soon as he’d put the burgundy suit on, he had realized how wrong he had been. He felt good, felt like he looked good, and the boost to his confidence was much-needed.

The hurricane that was Seto Kaiba blew back out of the office, this time with Jounouchi in tow, and deposited him in the backseat of a white limousine, one bearing a miniature Blue Eyes White Dragon in tasteful silver as a hood ornament.

“I trust you actually know where we’re headed?” Kaiba asked scornfully.

Jounouchi scoffed at him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Kaiba, your entourage ain’t here. You don’t impress me with that shit.”

Kaiba snorted. “Like I need to impress you.”

Jounouchi stared at him. “Turn it off, Kaiba. It’s just me.”

Kaiba leveled a cool stare of his own out the window. 

“What’s eating you? I thought we were past all this.”

“If you must know-,” and then he cut himself off with a sudden intake of air. “And I suppose you must, as it involves you now, as well.” Kaiba looked back at Jounouchi, his lips curling up devilishly. “I had to cancel several important plans in order to fly to America for some gala next week that my secretary mistakenly committed me to. A grievous error on her part, but one that is irreversible without damaging the KC America brand. That’s what’s eating at me, Jounouchi: a twenty hour flight to a country I hate, to see so many people I’d really rather not, and you’re coming with me. We fly out of Tokyo in four days.”

Jounouchi shook his head vigorously. “I can’t just leave like that, Kaiba! I’m not gonna go to America. Are you crazy?”

Though Kaiba’s mood seemed scarcely improved by the conversation, he was still smirking viciously. “Oh, but you have to. Contract being what it is and all. And the ticket has already been upgraded to two passengers - thank Chiro for that - so if you refuse to go, you’d be costing the company, oh-,” he paused, tapping his fingers against his knee, “Twenty-two million yen.”

“I can’t go!” Jounouchi insisted.

“And why not?” Kaiba snapped, leaning into Jounouchi’s personal space as he practically spat venom, “Like you have anything else more worthy of your time! Turning up your nose at all-expenses paid international travel, for what? You’ve certainly lost far less than I have in this particular turn of events!”

Jounouchi pressed his lips together in a tight line, saying nothing.

“You’re going to give me the silent treatment?” Kaiba spit with incredulity, “Do you forget so easily that I own you?”

Those last three words, spoken with gravity, rang through the limousine cab. Jounouchi wet his lips with his tongue slowly, eyes upcast, and then he said, in a patient tone, “Next week is the anniversary of my grandmother’s death. No one’s gonna tend to her grave if I’m not around.”

Kaiba held his gaze levelly, his bluster leaving him not in a rush but in a trickle, like the movement of a small stream. Soon enough, though, he looked empty. “Next week is Mokuba’s tenth birthday.”

“Oh.”

Kaiba inhaled with incredible slowness. “I already missed his ninth.”

“Oh.”

A pause. “And his eighth. And his seventh.”

The limousine travelled several more blocks in utter silence. 

Jounouchi adjusted the collar of his white dress shirt, then the lapels of his burgundy suit jacket. “Tell Chiro to upgrade the ticket again.”

“Beg pardon?”

“Tell her to book a third seat,” Jounouchi repeated, “Let’s bring Mokuba with us, throw him an American birthday party.”

Kaiba looked stunned. “You-,” he managed, then grew silent, contemplative. 

Jounouchi sat with his hands in the lap for the duration of the car ride, thinking his own private thoughts. Again, Kaiba was being an enormous asshole, making decisions for other people’s lives without a thought to their feelings, but then, hadn’t that kind of also been done to him? Chiro, however innocent the mistake, had set the Kaiba brothers up for heartache. And Kaiba loved his little brother more than anything, more than his own self, probably. He was just exercising his negative emotions the only way he knew how. And Jou was used to being the whipping boy; his father used to take out his disappointments and his frustrations on him up until Jou became big enough to hit back. Was this not a more sophisticated version of the same thing? 

But he wouldn’t hit back. Not this time. And maybe it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing to tend to his grandmother’s grave a little early? Knowing her, she probably wouldn’t mind so much. Things would be okay. He would just have to remain patient with Kaiba.

Jounouchi took Kaiba’s hand and rested it against his own thigh, touching his fingers to the other man’s bony palm. Kaiba accepted the touch passively, having turned his head to look out the window once more. 

Kaiba made his appearance at Domino’s downtown convention center - a gala thrown to celebrate the reelection of some politician he had made donations to - and Jounouchi made his appearance right alongside Kaiba, doing his best to smile and laugh and soften the sullen CEO’s stony appearance. It worked; people seemed charmed by Jounouchi. He made a point to laugh with truthful heartfulness at every joke, every anecdote he and Kaiba were told, and the effect was rather stunning. Perhaps half an hour after they walked into the celebration, their table had a buzz around it, as everyone wanted to get some facetime with Seto Kaiba and walk away feeling like they’d left a good impression on the cold CEO thanks to Jounouchi’s charming banter and easy likability. 

It was gratifying to be so well-liked, but it was also exhausting. Jounouchi excused himself from Kaiba’s table - some long-winded Councillor-or-other was telling a story Jounouchi didn’t care to continue feigning interest in - and moved to the bar to place an order for himself. He wouldn’t pretend to know what Kaiba drank, nor did he care to risk embarrassing the man by copying his own lowbrow order, so he simply asked for the house American draft and waited. He liked American beer - it was the only thing they did right over there. He’d have to research some good places to go once he figured out where exactly in America he would be flying to in four days. 

Not for the first time in the past several hours, Jounouchi wondered when his life had become so goddamn weird. 

“The same for me, please.”

Jounouchi looked over as his beer was set down by the bartender, who promptly went about filling another with a clipped acknowledgement. The man who’d ordered it leaned his elbows on the bar, just as Jounouchi was doing, and turned his head to smile at him. He was a tall, thin man wearing an ebony black suit pinstriped subtly with grey. The low light of the ballroom made the shaved skin of his head seem to glow, and as his deep, brown eyes settled on Jounouchi’s own, they seemed almost to smoulder as he held the eye contact without speaking for perhaps longer than Jounouchi was used to. 

Jounouchi used his beer as an excuse to look away. 

“We don’t make beer quite like the Americans do, huh?” the stranger asked. His voice was deeper than Jounouchi had expected from such a thin guy. “I’m glad they’re serving this stuff.”

“Most places do,” Jounouchi replied, keeping his tone passive and neutral. He felt somehow exposed being away from Kaiba, like he was on his own now, truly, in this sea of wealthy strangers. He knew he passed as one of them, but for how long? 

“Not the places I go to. You’ll have to give me a recommendation sometime.” He turned his body towards Jounouchi’s and bowed his head low. “My name is Yamato Daijirou. You,-” he said with a wink, “-may call me Dai.”

“Jounouchi Katsuya,” Jounouchi replied with reflexive warmth, smiling as he bowed back. “Katsua to you.”

Dai raised his glass, a column of crystal encasing foaming amber liquid, and Jounouchi knocked his own rim against the body of Dai’s glass. The chiming noise the two glasses made was musical, speaking to the quality of the material. This, Jounouchi knew without even really needing much knowledge of glassware. Honestly, this gala was so upscale, he would be shocked if they’d been using anything less than crystal to serve drinks in. 

“So, what brings you to Chancellor Takahara’s election celebration?” Dai asked conversationally.

Jounouchi took a hearty swig of his beer, relishing the way the taste hit his tongue and the feeling of the cold beer hitting his stomach. Man, how’d he even been doing this without alcohol, anyway? “I’m here with Kaiba Corp. The company donated to Takahara’s campaign.”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” Dai remarked as if he thought the exact opposite. 

“I’m a duelist,” Jounouchi added defensively, swigging again a bit more aggressively than necessary. 

Dai looked down at Jounouchi in surprise. “You’re a duelist? For Kaiba Corp.? No way! Do you know Mutou?”

Jounouchi smirked, raising his glass triumphantly. “Of course I know Mutou! He’s my best friend!”

Dai stared hard at him for a moment. “Wait, wait, wait just one second. You’re not the-,” he emphasized his last word, putting stress into the syllable, “Jounouchi Katsuya, are you? The Battle City finalist?”

Jounouchi turned his entire body towards Dai, looking up at him with what he hoped wasn’t awe. “You remember I finaled in Battle City?”

Dai set his glass down on the counter, looking stricken, but in a comical sort of way. “Remember? Katsuya, my god, you had the most interesting strategy of anyone in that tournament! I mean, I didn’t remember the name right away. My sincerest,-” here he bowed again, “-but your strategy in the finals was foolproof! If only that other competitor - the Middle Eastern fellow - hadn’t cheated!” 

Jounouchi smiled wryly. “Dai, buddy, you don’t know the half of it.”

Dai raised his glass at Jounouchi. “I can’t believe I’m meeting you. Genuinely. 

“I can’t believe I’m here right now,” Jou replied honestly, mirroring Dai’s gesture, “Seriously.”

“What do you mean?” Dai asked, sipping from his glass. “You’re incredibly talented! Why shouldn’t you be here?”

“Well, I guess it just wasn’t that long ago that I wasn’t here,” Jou explained searchingly, making a wide, slow, sweeping gesture with the hand still holding his glass. “Hell, a couple days ago, I wasn’t sponsored. Suddenly, I am. It’s like, is this real?”

Dai nodded, but Jou suspected he didn’t get it. 

“So,” Jou continued, “What do you do?”

“Oh,” Dai replied, “I’m the Emperor’s grandson.”

Jounouchi’s mind turned to static.

Dai chucked. “Sorry. Should I have phrased that differently?”

“You’re in the royal family?” Jou asked, incredulous, “And you know who I am?”

Dai shrugged. “Is it so strange that a member of the Imperial family would be a Duel Monsters fan?”

“I mean, no, but also, wow,” Jou babbled. He finished off his drink as a way to delay having to say any more. 

Dai chuckled again, this time retrieving a small, white card from his pocket and offering it to Jounouchi. “Here, take this,” he said good-naturedly, “And send me a message sometime. Maybe we can be pen pals? I’d love to talk Duel Monsters with you.”

Jou accepted somewhat meekly. “Sure, yeah.”

Dai smiled once more, so widely his eyes closed, and then he polished off his drink, set the glass down, and walked away into the crowd. 

Jounouchi finished his drink as well and scurried off to go find Kaiba, reeling from the encounter. The Emperor’s grandson, a fan of his. Could this day get any stranger?

Jou returned to Kaiba’s side, pleasantly surprised to find the other man alone for once. Well, as alone as he could get. His bodyguard was still posted within a few arm’s reaches, a polite distance away but still ready to spring into action should someone decide to harm Kaiba. 

Jou took a seat. “Got rid of the crowd finally?”

Kaiba remained still. He had crossed his legs and was leaning back slightly in his chair, one arm draped over the back and the other resting on his knee. It was a relaxed posture, but Jounouchi knew better than to believe it. For one thing, Kaiba was still frowning. His eyes were glazed, and he stared out into the crowd like a dissociative. His lips were tensed, held in the frown firmly, and because Jounouchi was looking closely enough, he could also see the faintest of muscular tremors afflicting the area around Kaiba’s left eye. 

“Hey,” Jounouchi tried softly, reaching over and putting his hand over Kaiba’s. He squeezed it softly. “You okay?”

Kaiba didn’t react verbally, but he did close his eyes and - ever so slightly - squeezed back. 

“D’you get uncomfortable in crowds or somethin’?”

“Oh, yes,” Kaiba replied, just a hint of irony traceable in his tone.

Jounouchi scooted his chair a little bit closer, thinking about things he used to do for his friends when they were having nerves. His mind couldn’t help but land on Yuugi, just before the Ceremonial Duel. The kid had been an absolute wreck. Jou moved his hand to the back of Kaiba’s neck, letting the warmth of his palm spread to Kaiba. He pressed the tips of his fingers very gently into the tense, triangular muscle that connected Kaiba’s neck to his shoulder, and almost instantly he saw that shoulder drop as the tension released. 

“When do we get outta here?” he asked, letting himself frown for the first time all afternoon as he shot a gaze back out at the crowd.

“After Tomori makes his speech,” Kaiba replied disdainfully, “Excuse me, Chancellor Tomori.”

“Didn’t you donate to that guy? You don’t seem to like him much, and you don’t seem too pleased he was elected, neither.”

Kaiba shrugged, and Jounouchi’s hand moved with the motion. “His political agenda is good for business, my business in particular. It does not factor into the matter at all that I think he’s an absolute moron. And his voice is grating to listen to, just wait.”

Just as Kaiba finished talking, he nodded towards the center of the room, and Jounouchi looked over to where the floor was clearing and a group of men in black suits and similar haircuts were positioning themselves around a short, aging man holding a microphone. The audience applauded as he nodded politely to accept the praise. 

Jounouchi did not listen to the speech. Though his eyes remained on the politician, his thoughts were on Kaiba, whose posture had begun to relax significantly. Still, Jou did not remove his hand. He kind of didn’t want to. He’d never have guessed that Kaiba got nervous in crowds. The man didn’t seem like the type to suffer something so undignifying as a flaw. Kaiba projected perfection at all times, and though Jounouchi hadn’t ever really believed it, he’d also never seen proof to the contrary. It made him feel pleased to be able to help, though he wasn’t sure entirely why it should. It seemed like more than just a job well done. He felt, inexplicably, like he cared about how Kaiba was feeling, and what was worse, he felt like he wanted to be the person to make Kaiba feel good.

Jounouchi felt unsteadied by his thoughts. Why should he care about how Kaiba felt? Kaiba had certainly never cared about him in that capacity before. It was just like Kaiba to take all of Jounouchi’s affection and care for himself and not give him any in return. What an asshole, what a privileged jerk, to think that there was any real equivalency in the deal they’d made. In fact, if Kaiba ever caught wind that Jounouchi actually enjoyed doing his job, took pleasure in making Kaiba feel good, he’d probably mock him for it. But that was just like Kaiba, to take someone’s feelings and throw them back in their face. 

Jounouchi retracted his hand and watched the rest of Tomori’s speech, seething. The second it was over, Kaiba was on his feet, clapping. Jounouchi followed the action grudgingly, and as soon as the applause died down, they were walking out the doors and back to where the valet had brought their limo around. Kaiba must have sent one of his entourage before the speech had even begun. Jounouchi rolled his eyes as he stepped in. That Tomori guy was probably really grateful to Kaiba, but would he ever get anything close to a warm feeling in return? No, just money, which to Kaiba was probably worth more, anyway.

“What’s with you?”

Jounouchi was startled by the question. “What?”

Kaiba’s eyes were narrowed in his direction, his head tilted quizzically, as if looking at a crossword written in small print. “You’re being unnaturally silent. For you. What’s wrong?”

“You care why?” 

Kaiba snorted. “Okay, be like that. See if I care.”

The response made Jounouchi somehow even angrier, but he was determined not to let it get to him. Kaiba would like a fight too much. Jou wouldn’t gratify him. And, true to his word, Kaiba did not ask again. The pair sat in stony silence for many blocks, a silence Jounouchi only interrupted when he began to recognize his neighborhood. Panicked, his hand fell to the handle. “Where are we going?”

Kaiba did not turn his head to look at him. “I’m having the driver take you home.”

“Why?”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “Because you need to go home. Or did you falsify your address on your onboarding paperwork? Are you homeless, Jounouchi?”

Jou bristled. “No! I have a home, you prick. Why are you going to the trouble of taking me home? I can take the subway.”

“Yes, but now you won’t have to. We’re already in a vehicle, and it’s only an extra few minutes out of my way. See, I’m being nice to you, Jounouchi, so say thank you.”

“Hell no! Asshole. Stop the car,” Jou demanded loudly, and to his surprise, the limo driver actually did. The car pulled up to the curb very quickly, and Kaiba made no move to stop it. Kaiba actually looked sort of stupefied, sitting there staring at Jounouchi, his lips parted in a protest his mind hadn’t finished formulating yet. Jounouchi relished the expression. “See ya tomorrow, Kaiba,” he spat, slamming the door behind him and taking off down the sidewalk. 

He speed-walked several blocks in furious silence before he realized he was sweating in his new clothes and slowed his pace. He realized he’d left his other suits in the limo on accident, not thinking about them at all in the heat of the moment, so he would have to wear this one again tomorrow. 

Why had Kaiba done that? Or rather, been about to do that? Had he really just been trying to be nice? Or was it some kind of favor that Jounouchi would have been expected to pay back later? More likely the second one. Kaiba was such a transactional person. He didn’t do anything without expecting something back, and Jounouchi didn’t want to feel any more beholden to him than he had to. Today had been their first day of actually working together, their first public appearance as boss and employee, and it had been going alright until Kaiba had-,

Had what? Insulted that politician Jounouchi didn’t know? Had attempted to save him some subway fare? 

Had needed Jounouchi’s help. Had made Jounouchi care about him.

“Katsuya, is that you?”

Jounouchi stiffened his shoulders and increased his pace. 

From behind him, the voice continued to call out. “Hey, Kat’, slow down, buddy!”

Footsteps grew faster, and Jounouchi broke out into a sprint, but he wasn’t fast enough, and a force collided with him from behind. It would have sent him sprawling to his feet if large, strong arms hadn’t snapped out to restrain him on impact. In his ear, a voice he knew too well growled, “Whaddya doin’ wearin’ those fancy clothes, Jounouchi Katsuya? You some rich guy now or somethin’?”

“Hirutani,” Jounouchi gasped, struggling in vain to break the larger man’s hold.

“Come on now, Kat’, you came into money and didn’t remember your old pal Hiru? That ain’t nice, man.”

Hirutani carried Jounouchi to the end of the block and into a side street, away from the prying eyes of the main road. Not that anyone would have intervened had they seen anything, anyway. Jounouchi knew these streets, and they were on Hirutani’s turf - Jou’s old turf. They were still about ten blocks away from his apartment, from safety. Jou knew he could outrun Hirutani if he got a head start. He just needed to slip the hold, needed a grip on his old boss’ fingers, and-

His planning came to an abrupt halt as his feet left the ground and the back of his head hit bricks. 

“A fancy suit, a nice watch, and are those cufflinks? Kat’, where’ve you been, buddy?”

Jounouchi’s vision was black, but he felt Hirtutani’s hand in his pocket. He tried to move his arms, but the blow to his head had stunned him. His movements were inaccurate, and he slapped uselessly at Hirutani as the boss’ other hand came up to grab him by the throat and shove him back against the alley wall. 

“And now you’re trying to hurt your old friend?” Hirutani asked, feigning sadness. Then, he gasped in surprise. “A Kaiba Corp. ID badge! Katsuya, you’re workin’ for your old enemy?” He laughed throatily. “Would’ve thought you’d come back to work for me before you’d go crawling to Kaiba. Though I suppose,” he continued slowly, “You’re gettin’ paid better at KC than with your old gang, huh?” There was a pause, then Jounouchi was released. Hirutani laughed again. “Pleasure doing business with ya, Kat’. I’ll see you again soon, buddy.”

One more hit connected with Jounouchi’s gut, and then he heard the sound of footsteps leaving the alley. 

Jounouchi waited for a few seconds, testing each of his limbs slowly as he waited for his head to stop spinning - or at least start spinning slower. When his vision cleared, he saw his wallet lying on the ground, and he crouched to pick it up, checking its contents. 

Well, Hirutani had left his ID badge and his train pass. That was something. He’d been carrying a lot of cash. Well, by his standards it had been a lot, most of what he’d had saved up from his old jobs.That was all gone now, along with the watch he’d been wearing on his wrist, though he hadn’t felt Hirutani take it from him. Jounouchi straightened then slapped a hand to the wall as his vision swam. The blow to his head had been a hard one. He’d have to go home and get some ice on it, then go to bed early. 

Jounouchi walked home carefully, feeling the ache in his head and his stomach. What would Kaiba say when he turned up in a dirty suit without his watch? He’d probably fire him, actually. That would just ice the cake. But he couldn’t imagine Kaiba abiding his behavior, his ineptitude for very long. Yelling at him, jumping out of his limousine, and ruining the brand new stuff he’d been given all in one day? Yeah, Jou couldn’t see that going over well at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for leaving such sweet, amazing, thoughtful comments on my chapters :) they encourage me to keep going and make me feel like I'm doing something worth the time and effort. Really, just thanks for being my readers, y'all.


	4. Slipping Under

“What the hell happened to you?”

Those harsh words made Jounouchi flinch. He hadn’t meant to - he’d been bracing himself for Kaiba’s anger all morning - but his accusing tone still stung. “I, uh, ran into a little trouble last night.”

He knew what he looked like. He’d tried to clean the suit last night, and it had kind of worked but not really. The fabric was scuffed on the back from where it had been pressed up against the bricks, and the lapel was torn from being pulled at by malicious hands. He had scratches on his face and hands, and he’d walked in the room slowly, betraying his sore body. He’d thought perhaps he could pass for fine at first glance, but Kaiba had noticed the moment he’d walked through the door. Of course he had. His only hobby other than duel monsters was sniffing out inferiority.

Kaiba rounded his desk. “Did you get into a fight?” he asked, incredulous.

Jou tried to shake his head, but the action flared up the ache in the back of his skull. “Nothin’ like that, no. Well, it’s like this-,”

“Answer me straight,” Kaiba demanded. He lashed out with his arm, and Jounouchi flinched again. Kaiba’s hand gripped his chin, forcing his head upwards to meet his eyes. “Were you fighting?”

“No,” Jounouchi repeated.

“Then what happened? You look like hell. Your brand new suit needs mending, your watch is missing, your shoes are scuffed, all on the first goddamn day of owning them.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Jou snapped back, wrenching his head from Kaiba grip then stumbling slightly as he was hit with the sensation of falling, but slowly, like he was still riding in the elevator. He put a hand to his temples, closing his eyes and hoping it looked like irritation. “Look, I didn’t get into a fight, alright? I just got roughed up a little last night, walking home.”

“Are you going to fall?”

“Am I what?” Jou dropped his hand to look at Kaiba then, upon realizing he couldn’t focus his eyes, put it back up. “Shit.”

Kaiba’s hands were on his shoulders, guiding him into a nearby chair. “Gods’ sake, Jounouchi, are you going to pass out?”

“No,” Jou muttered, “Just need a second.” He closed his eyes behind his hands and waited for the room to stop spinning. He pushed his fingers up into his hair, combing it back from his face with a soft, exasperated curse. “Sorry about this.” He kept his eyes down but was at least able to open them. “Yeah, no, I had some trouble on the walk home, ran into an old friend who wasn’t too pleased to see me, uh, doin’ so well for myself.” 

Jou felt the weight of Kaiba’s hands leave his shoulders. He looked up to see where he’d gone, but Kaiba was still kneeling in front of him, expression schooled blank. “What happened?”

“He, uh, got me up against the wall. Hit my head pretty hard, I guess. I couldn’t see or anything.” Jounouchi shrugged. “Took some of my stuff and left. I’m not happy I have to admit this to you, Kaiba.”

“I’m none too pleased to hear it.”

“Look, it wasn’t my fault, okay?”

“I didn’t say it was your fault.”

Jounouchi gave him a disbelieving look. 

Kaiba exhaled heavily through his nose, reaching his hand up to the back of Jounouchi’s head. “You said you got hit here?”

“Up a little bit, yeah,” Jou said, “Hurt like a sonofa.” 

“You’re probably concussed. Did you sleep last night?”

“Concussed? Uh, not a lot.”

Kaiba nodded. “I’ll call a doctor in to take a look at you.” He put his hands on his knees and pressed, rocking back to a standing position. “You should’ve let me drive you home. You shouldn’t even be living in that slum anymore.”

“I didn’t exactly have time to move, bein’ hired, like, three days ago and all.” Jounouchi said with an eye roll that was worth the throb of pain it caused him. “Besides, it’s gonna be a while ‘til I can even afford a down payment or pass a credit check for a new place.”

“You don’t have credit?” Kaiba asked in disbelief.

Jounouchi mirrored his expression. “Kaiba, until, like, freakin’ yesterday, I didn’t have money!” The shout cost him, and his vision began to swim again. “Fuck, hold on,” he grumbled, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Fuck, fuck.”

Kaiba came back over in an instant, dropping to his knees and clutching Jounouchi’s head between his hands. “You’re moving out of there today, this afternoon if possible. Chiro will look into a new apartment.”

“You what?” Jounouchi wanted to shout again, but his stomach was beginning to churn unpleasantly. He hadn’t had the appetite to eat breakfast, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t still dry heave all over the place if he didn’t get himself in check. “God, that’s just like you.”

“To what?” Kaiba pressed, tone irritated, “To prevent you from getting mugged walking home? Yes, I’d say that’s quite like me, Jounouchi.” His hands were on Jounouchi’s wrists, pulling his hands away from his face.

“Gotta protect your property, right?” Jou asked sardonically, fixing him with a scathing look. Kaiba’s silence was answer enough. Coupled with his moving away, it was a clear enough sign of his guilt. “Look, Kaiba, as hard as this’ll be for you to believe, I don’t actually feel like fightin’ right now. I’ll get the suit fixed, and I’ll get a new watch,” Jounouchi told him tiredly, eyes tracking Kaiba’s movements as he sat down behind his desk, “Just tell me what I’m doin’ today, and I’ll do it. You don’t have to get me a new apartment, I’ll just be more careful.” He gritted his teeth as he spoke. “I should’ve been able to get away from him, anyway. I’ve always been faster than him. It kind of was my fault, actually, so just let me fix this, and we can be done with it, alright?”

Kaiba frowned, pausing for a moment as if considering Jounouchi’s words. Then, he opened his mouth to speak, head cocked inquisitively. “You’ve experienced a decline in physical endurance?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so.” Jou shrugged, picking at a hangnail just to have something to do with his hands. “I haven’t been able to eat too well in a while. Nutrition’s lacking, but I mean, it always kind of was. God, we ate too much Burger World in high school.”

“Part of our deal,” Kaiba began slowly, almost contemplatively, like the sentences were being spun right in his mouth before the thread of conversation slipped through his lips, “Is that you satisfy and cater to my sexual needs. It will be difficult to accomplish this if you are not in peak physical condition.” He snapped his head back up, straightening the bend in his neck, eyes flashing briefly to his computer screen before returning to Jounouchi. “You’ll need a physical trainer and a nutritionist, at least. There’s a gym on the fifteenth floor that is fully staffed. All employees have access to it.” His fingers were flashing across the keyboard. “What day is it? Tuesday? You’ll go down immediately to see the physical therapist, who will assess your current status and build a plan for you as well as take a look at any muscular strain you’ve endured from your attack. Of course, the physician will still be called, but he won’t get here for another hour, at least. That will give the staff time to work with you on building a wellness plan.”

“Can I cut in, just for a second here?” Jounouchi interrupted.

Kaiba’s fingers stilled over the keyboard, hovering, as his eyes returned to Jounouchi. 

“Have you ever been down there to see those guys?”

“No, why?”

Jounouchi fought the urge to yell at him again. Instead, he inhaled slowly and exhaled heavily. “I’m not going unless you come, too.”

“What? Absolutely not, I’m very busy today.”

“As the expert on your - what was it? Sexual needs?” Jou said cheekily, “I think I know what’s good for yah. And it’s exercise. You wanna keep up with me, don’t you? I ain’t goin’ down there unless you come, too, and that’s all there is to it.”

Kaiba looked irritated, and he gave no response, stonewalling.

With a snort, Jounouchi rose. “Whatever, Kaiba, but don’t say I didn’t try.”

“What are you doing?” Kaiba asked sharply, the hint of fear immediately noticeable but quickly masked in his voice, “Sit back down; you’ll hurt yourself.”

“Nah, I’m good,” Jou replied with a cat-like smile, “I’ll just walk myself downstairs and do what you asked. Fifteenth floor, you said?” He asked innocently, “Gee, that’s a pretty long way down. But, you know, if I’m going for my health, might as well take the stairs.”

Jou began to walk out of the office and was gratified to hear Kaiba leap up to follow him. “Get back here!” he ordered.

“Mixed signals much?” Jou spat, turning off his playful tone and letting anger take over. He stopped at the door and put his hand on the knob. “C’mon, Kaiba, do you really care?”

Kaiba was silent, staring at him. 

“As your, what? Employee? Property? Yeah, you care if I get roughed up.” Jou spoke the words with just the barest quiver of hurt in his voice. “That’d sure be inconvenient for you, to have me out of commission. That’s why I’ve gotta go see those people downstairs, too. To keep me in good shape for you. I get it. But don’t, fuckin-,” he stopped, stumbling over his words as his emotions caught up to him. He inhaled deeply, steeling himself. “Don’t pretend like you care about me, actually.”

He turned to leave, but Kaiba’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Kaiba turned him back around, not forcibly but still with some authority, and set his chin down on top of Jou’s head, wrapping his arms around him in a loose hug that grew tighter as the seconds stretched on. Kaiba stood like that, holding Jou, and Jou stood like that, being held, for perhaps half a minute before Kaiba pulled away and spoke. 

“Don’t make me worry about you again.”

Jounouchi flushed at Kaiba’s words. “I didn’t ask you to worry.”

“It can’t be helped.”

Then, Kaiba let go. “I still cannot accompany today, but perhaps in the future I would be able to block out an hour or two of my schedule. I’ll have Chiro walk you down.”

Jounouchi shrugged. “I was just kidding about takin’ the stairs. I’ll be fine goin’ down by myself.”

“You’re certain?” 

Jounouchi looked hard at Kaiba. “Do you seriously actually care?”

Kaiba frowned deeply. “What do you want me to say? Of course I actually care. What kind of question is that, and why do you keep on mentioning it?”

“You just don’t strike me as the caring type, especially about me.” Jou shrugged. 

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Jounouchi.” Kaiba’s face looked contemplative. “And likely, there are just as many things I don’t know about you.” 

“Go ahead and be cryptic, I guess.” Jou rolled his eyes, but most of his venom had been taken out of him by Kaiba’s unexpected hug. “I’ll go with Chiro, if it’ll make you happy.”

Kaiba took Jounouchi by the shoulder and guided him out of the office. “Chiro, please escort Jounouchi down to the fifteenth floor and stay with him. Take your laptop with you,” he said to his secretary before turning back to Jou. He put both hands on his shoulders and squeezed. “We can talk more about your living situation tonight. Dinner?”

“Uh, sure,” Jou replied dazedly, not certain how the conversation had turned to that so quickly, “Just tell me where to be.”

“We’ll leave from the office. I’ll try to finish up as close to five o’clock as I can.”

And then Kaiba bent his head down and ghosted his lips across Jounouchi’s forehead, a featherlight, affectionate touch that sent a shiver of pleasure dancing across Jounouchi’s skin. He stood there, rooted to the spot, as Kaiba looked him in the eyes for one last agonizing moment before disappearing back into his office. 

There was silence for a beat, the only sound the typing of Chiro’s fingers on her keyboard before she snapped her laptop shut, gathered it up into a leather satchel, and palmed a small keyring that had been laying on the desk counter. “Shall we go?” she asked him politely, giving him one of her sweet, little smiles.

Jounouchi smiled back. “Sure, but you really don’t have to. Walk me, I mean.”

“This will be easier for both of us, I think,” Chiro said, “This way, I will be with you to ask your preferences.”

She began to walk towards the elevators, beckoning him with a wave of her hand. 

“Uh, preferences for what?” Jou asked, trailing along behind her. 

The elevator dinged and the metal doors slid open to admit them. “Preferences for an apartment.”

Jounouchi absolutely knew he shouldn’t have been surprised at the answer. Of course Kaiba meant “continue your futile argument” when he said they would talk about it. He’d never meant to change his mind. It was an incredibly Kaiba move, but Jou wasn’t altogether displeased. After all, he didn’t actually like where he lived now, and he’d had intentions of moving once he had cashed enough paychecks. He’d be delaying the inevitable by refusing to move. 

Still, the knowledge that he’d lost a fight was burning within him. Not the fight with Kaiba, either. He was used to losing those. Hirutani had always been physically stronger than him, but Jounouchi was quicker, which had always given him the upper hand in the past. But it’d been a while since he’d been able to work out at a gym or even do something simple like jogging, not to mention his diet did not exactly lend itself well to athletic performance. It made him feel uncomfortable, knowing he couldn’t defend himself. He wanted that to change as soon as possible.

The elevator dinged again as they reached the fifteenth floor. Chiro led Jounouchi out into what looked like a lounge area. “So long as you have your keycard on you, this floor will be accessible from the elevators,” she explained, “You may come here whenever you wish. It is always open.”

Chiro instructed him to have a seat, and then she went away for a minute, returning with another woman following behind her. She was tall and blonde like Mai but with the athletic build of Anzu. She was dressed comfortably in a blue tracksuit, and her hair was up in a ponytail, secured with a matching blue elastic. Her eyes sparkled with warmth as she sized Jounouchi up, reaching out to shake his hand as she introduced herself as Aiko, the personal trainer. She and Chiro chatted amicably for a few moments about what Jou’s brain labeled “girl stuff” before Aiko redirected her attention back to him. 

“So, what we’ll need to do first is just a standard fitness examination,” she told him, “Once we assess where you’re at, we can see where we’ll need to go.”

“Uh, alright,” Jou agreed passively. 

Aiko spoke very quickly. “Now, I understand you probably have a concussion, though. So we’ll save some of the more strenuous tests for later on. No running, no lifting, just the easy stuff.”

“Word sure travels fast,” Jou remarked. 

Aiko merely laughed, spinning on her heel and beckoning Jounouchi to follow her further into the gym. He did, and soon she had him standing on a scale with his shoes off. “Hm,” she hummed thoughtfully as the number was read, “That’s a fair bit lower than it should be for someone your height. Taking after Mr. Kaiba, are you?”

Jou chuckled uncomfortably. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, hopefully you can get him to start eating more, too,” she mused, “He’s never been down here, of course, but anyone with eyes can tell he needs to gain some weight. Living with that kind of stress and eating as little as he does isn’t healthy.”

“I tried to get him down here today, but he said he was too busy,” Jou vented, “He’s always too busy to take care of himself, I think.”

“Well, try and bring him next time,” Aiko said with a grin, “I’d love to get him on a regimen, too.”

“So, what do you want me to do, like, for myself?”

Aiko reached down into a filing cabinet and withdrew a small, slim notebook and a pen. She scribbed his name on the cover before opening it to the first page. “Three times a week in the weight room, two runs per week, and stretches every morning. Record your weight once a week to track your progress. I can tell by looking that you used to be pretty fit, but your body cannibalized your muscles when you stopped eating a regular diet - if you ever did, at all. You’re, what, twenty-two?”

“Twenty,” Jou corrected.

“Yeah, feeding a teenage body is different from feeding an adult body, kid. The sooner you learn that, the easier your twenties will be.”

Jou blushed lightly. 

Aiko laughed good-naturedly. “I’ll have the nutritionist devise an eating plan for you. Do you have any allergies?”

Jounouchi shook his head.

“Alright, great! I’ll just send you back out to Chiro while I go fix this up.” She made a shoo-ing motion with her hands. 

Jou went back to the lounge area, where Chiro was staring thoughtfully at her laptop screen. He took a seat next to her and looked over. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Looking at apartments,” Chiro replied, tapping her finger against her lips, “There are not many availabilities at the moment, but there are a few that I think would be good.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what?” He leaned in to get a better look at the screen. 

“Well, I have narrowed it down to a few that are within several blocks of our building,” she explained, “But perhaps you have a different preference?”

Jou shook his head. “I don’t even know enough to know what I want. I’m sure whatever you pick will be just fine, so long as it isn’t too fancy.”

Chiro continued to look contemplative. “Well, there is only one with immediate availability. I believe the sooner you move in, the happier Mr. Kaiba will be. So if you have no objections to it,-” she clicked over to a different tab, displaying a new apartment, “We would choose this one.”

“Seems fine to me,” Jou said with a shrug, “Like I said, I’ve got no clue.”

“We can go out to tour it as soon as we’ve finished here,” she said decidedly, “I think it has many good qualities that you and Mr. Kaiba will like.”

“Well, he doesn’t have to like it, does he? It’s my place.”

Chiro looked sidelong at him, a curious smile on her face. “A private space near work would afford many benefits to yourself and Mr. Kaiba, I believe.”

Jounouchi felt his face get hot. That’s right, Chiro’s desk was right outside Kaiba’s office door. She probably heard… 

Chiro laughed kindly. “Do not worry, Mr. Jounouchi. I am a professional, see?”

Jounouchi had no clue what to do with his face or his hands, so he looked anywhere but at Chiro and sat perfectly still as she continued to giggle at him. She returned her attention to her laptop, then, and began to chat at him about the various amenities of his potential new apartment building, but he was too mortified to reply with anything other than head nodding. Chiro had definitely heard him doing stuff to Kaiba in his office. What did she think of him? Would she tell on him? Who would she even tell? Could Kaiba get in trouble with his own human relations department?

Jounouchi continued to worry in silence until Aiko came back with his nutrition plan and handed it to him, instructing him to begin following it as soon as possible. Chiro then happily informed him of the grocery store that existed on the same block as the building they were going to tour. He would be able to buy groceries without having to take a train, and he finally overcame his mortification enough to agree that it would be nice to have something so convenient. The closest thing to his old apartment in terms of food was a liquor store and a gas station that sold greasy meat on a rotisserie. Upon a cursory glance of the nutrition plan, Jou realized there was little room for rotisserie hot dogs or Burger World in his plan. 

“Hey, Chiro?” Jou asked.

Chiro inclined her head.

“You do Kaiba’s schedule for him, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, I manage Mr. Kaiba’s personal and professional calendars.”

“Would you be able to block out time for him to come here with me?” Jou ventured, “That way, he won’t be able to say he’s busy.”

Chiro smiled a devious little smile. “I think that’s a great idea! I’m sure Mr. Kaiba will appreciate the display of initiative on my part and the proactivity on yours.”

Jounouchi did not entirely know what she meant by her comment, but it had been a yes, so he decided to be satisfied with it. 

He and Chiro put on their coats and left the building, headed in the direction of this new apartment. The building itself was quite tall, matching many of the other buildings around it in height. Like the KC building, it had floor-to-ceiling windows visible from the outside, and Jou could see into people’s living rooms from the outside. He frowned, not really liking the idea of people on the street seeing his stuff, but he resolved to reserve his judgement until he saw the actual unit he would be moving into.

Chiro marched past the doorman and up to the reception desk, where a neatly-manicured woman was speaking into a phone. When she hung up, she engaged Chiro in a welcoming manner, and the two of them spoke in quick, business-like tones while Jounouchi watched on, taking in the elegance of the lobby and the affluence of the passing tenants with growing anxiety. Standing here and having Chiro taking care of the arrangements made him feel overwhelmingly out of place, even in his fine clothing. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of being an imposter. He was out of place here. He belonged in his old slum of an apartment, not in this high rise from the future. 

“Mr. Jounouchi,” Chiro beckoned, taking his wrist in her small, soft hand, “Excuse me, but they are ready to take us upstairs.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Jou replied, shaking off his thoughts and letting himself be led to an elevator.

“She wanted to show us their model apartment,” Chiro continued to explain, “But I insisted on seeing the blank unit. I felt you would appreciate that more.”

“I-,” Jou stuttered, “Yeah, actually. Thanks?”

Chiro giggled. “Of course. It is my job to make Mr. Kaiba happy, and now it is also my job to make you happy.”

“Nah, I’m not that important,” Jou insisted.

Chiro merely shook her head with a smile. 

The receptionist was waiting for them at the elevator, and the two women chatted back and forth about the various benefits of the apartment complex as they went up, up, up to some floor in the upper forties. The doors opened up to a hallway, and the receptionist flashed a key card against a magnetic lock, which clicked open and turned a bright green upon contact. 

The inside of the apartment was wide and empty, white walls and plain floors made from a light wood. Directly across from the entrance was the window, just like in Kaiba’s office, offering a complete view of center city Domino. From this high up, Jounouchi could see clear to the end of the city to the suburbs beyond. 

“Our units come in studio, two, and three bedrooms,” the receptionist was saying, “This is the two bedroom unit, which offers a really nice amount of space without too much hassle. You’ll be able to customize both the walls and the floors with whatever colors and carpeting you’d like.”

Jounouchi wrinkled his nose. “This is too much. You got any studios available?”

The receptionist began to stammer, seemingly taken by surprise. “O-Of course we do! We always have studio space available. Would you prefer the upper levels of the building or mid-level?”

Chiro turned to Jounouchi with a frown. “You want a studio apartment? They are too small.”

Jounouchi shook his head. “Nah, that’d be just enough for me. I don’t need much space, and I don’t wanna end up with a huge rent payment that could be goin’ towards other stuff.”

Chiro shrugged then turned and nodded to the receptionist, who led them out of the large unit, up to the fiftieth floor, and into an empty studio unit. It had the same open space as the first apartment but without the doors leading off to the bedrooms. A small but functional kitchenette was off to one side, and there was still a pretty sizable bathroom. Even though it was a studio, it was still larger than the apartment Jounouchi was currently living in. He strolled around the space with a smile. “It’s perfect.”

“This unit is ready for move-in immediately,” the receptionist informed him happily, “As part of your down payment, we will send movers to your old apartment to retrieve your items for you.”

Jounouchi grimaced. “I, uh, don’t think that’ll be necessary. I’m gonna be gettin’ all new stuff.”

“Oh, of course! We actually have a number of retailers that offer complimentary delivery to our building.”

Jounouchi looked startled. “All that, really?”

“Of course. Only the best for our tenants. I will have the paperwork drawn up immediately,” the receptionist replied easily, bowing as she moved towards the door, “Feel free to come back down to the lobby at your leisure.”

Jounouchi looked out the window, instantly spotting the KC building. It was pretty close, which made sense since they hadn’t walked all that far to get there. “This is amazing.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Chiro replied.

“This is too amazing. It’s too much,” he continued a little dazedly. As he kept staring out the window, he tried to spot his own neighborhood, the suburb where he grew up, but he couldn’t. There were too many tall buildings obscuring his view. Jounouchi felt a tightness in his throat and attempted to swallow it down. “This is all too much.”

“Mr. Jounouchi?”

“Nothing, Chiro. Could you, would you mind, going downstairs to sign that paperwork?” he asked, voice breaking a little, “I’d, uh, I need a minute to think.”

“Of course, Mr. Jounouchi,” Chiro replied respectfully, and the sound of her fading footsteps were followed by the soft click of the closing door. 

Once he was alone, the prickling sensation behind his eyes peaked, and soft, slow tears welled up in his eyes. A few spilled down his cheeks before he used the back of his hand to swipe them away. He felt like bawling, but he wouldn’t be able to explain that away to Chiro. He had to stay strong, but his chest felt like it was tearing itself open from the inside. He was in over his head, completely, and he was afraid he’d already started drowning. Standing in this empty shell of the place he was expected to call home, Jounouchi felt he had been sucked into the mouth of a great, yawning void. But then, he’d never done change well. He was a static creature, and this was too much too fast. 

Jou pulled out his KC smartphone, flicking his thumb over the screen until he pulled up Kaiba’s cell number. He hesitated for a moment. Why did he want to call Kaiba? What would he say? That even with his new income and job, he felt unworthy of a new apartment? That he felt like an imposter in this life of luxury and affluence? Kaiba would probably laugh and tell him to get used to it, would make fun of him for missing his old life. No, he didn’t want to call Kaiba. He wanted to call Yuugi. He hadn’t even told him that he’d taken the job yet. 

“Jounouchi?” 

Jou did his damndest to choke down the lump in his throat. “Hey, Yuug’. Got some news.”

“Did you take the job?”

“I took the job.”

“Coworkers!!” Yuugi shrieked the word at an incredible volume. “I cannot believe it! I mean, obviously I can because you totally deserve it, but I’m so excited, I think I’m having a heart attack? Jou, yes! Hell yes, Jou!!”

Jounouchi couldn’t help but laugh, couldn’t help but feel just a little bit better. “Yeah, I know, right? It does not feel even a little bit real, but it is. I’m not gonna be in this month’s tournament, but Kaiba gave me a sponsorship and a job! I’ve got a suit now, and I work in the Duel Labs.” This was the story he decided he’d be telling people - it was the truth, mostly. “I’m helpin’ the techs test the stuff. Kaiba thought it’d be good to have a duelist live in the city and get down there on the regular.”

“Oh, for sure, for sure. Yes!!” Yuugi cheered again, drawing out his “s” in a delighted hiss. “God, no one deserves this more than you, man.”

“Thanks, Yuug’. I mean it.” Jou smiled, eyes gazing unfocused out the window. “This is all because of you, encouragin’ me. So, anyway, I don’t wanna interrupt your tournament prep too much, but I wanted to call and tell you the news.”

“We’re going out to celebrate, obviously! Tonight? I don’t even care about tournament prep, not even a little bit, right now, in this moment.”

Jou laughed again. “Yeah, sounds awesome!” Then, he remembered his plans for dinner with Kaiba. “Uh, but actually, tonight’s no good for me. Wanna do tomorrow?”

“Oh, no doubt! Burger World?”

“Listen to me, Yuugi: hell yes.”

“Hell yes!!” 

Jounouchi laughed a third time, thanked his friend a second time, and hung up, feeling bolstered by the conversation. Yuugi’s reaction had felt like a balm over his agitated nerves. It didn’t matter if he was feeling a little displaced now. That was natural, but it wasn’t like he was leaving the life he deserved for one he didn’t. No, Yuugi knew it, and deep down, Jou knew it, too: he belonged here, in this life. This is what he deserved. He just needed time to acclimate.

While he rode back down in the elevator to the lobby, he dialed Kaiba. 

“Kaiba.”

“Man, just say hello or somethin’.”

“What is it, Jounouchi?”

“Missed you, too, sweetheart,” he teased, “I’m gonna sign the lease on this apartment Chiro picked out for me. Anything I need to know?”

“Put the down payment on your corporate card,” Kaiba said immediately, “Where did she select?”

“Uh,” Jou replied intelligently, casting his gaze around while he reached into his back pocket for his wallet, “Uh, Domino Plaza, looks like.”

Kaiba made a humming noise. “Impressive, that’s good. You’ll like it there. Two bedroom?”

“Studio.”

“Why?”

“Man, you and Chiro both, huh?” Jou rolled his eyes. “All I need’s a studio. Besides, I don’t want to be makin’ crazy rent payments when I could be spendin’ that money on other stuff.”

“I’m going to be paying for your rent, Mutt, don’t be stupid.”

“What, why?”

“I’m the one who insisted you move out, therefore I will make the payments on your new apartment. Domino Tower is incredibly expensive, in any case.” Jounouchi practically heard the eye-roll through the phone connection. “A two bedroom is better because, if I decide to stay the night there, we can have separate rooms.”

Jounouchi had no response for that. It was simply too much to object to in one arrogant declaration. So, in a conversational maneuver he was coming to lean on quite heavily, he glossed right over the entire thing. “So anyway, I’m gettin’ the studio, and I’m movin’ in tonight ‘cause they’ll let me. They apparently deliver furniture right to the place for people, so would you wanna help me pick what I get?”

Now it was Kaiba’s turn to be stunned into silence, evidently. Jounouchi took advantage of the temporary lapse in conversation to sign his paperwork and hand his KC credit card to the receptionist. Eventually, Kaiba’s brain rebooted, and Jounouchi heard him clear his throat demurely. “Of course I’ll help you choose new furniture, Jounouchi.”

“Cool,” Jou replied smoothly, ignoring the weird bubble of happiness in his throat, “We can do it over lunch, that way I won’t be sleepin’ on the floor tonight.”

“Seems reasonable.” Kaiba’s tone sounded, unless Jounouchi was mistaken, somewhat amused. “Now, hurry up with signing the lease and come back to the tower. The doctor has arrived, and I don’t want to keep him waiting too long.”

“Awh, gee, I miss you, too, honey.”

“Goodbye, Jounouchi.”

The line went dead, but Jou smiled. He could’ve sworn he’d heard embarrassment in Kaiba’s voice. 

The rest of the morning passed in relative harmony. The doctor confirmed that, yes, Jounouchi did have a concussion and should spend as much time as possible lying down in a quiet, darkened room. Kaiba gave him the rest of the day off, so naturally he went down to that grocery store - possibly the most brightly lit establishment he could’ve walked into - and loaded up a reusable fabric shopping bag with nutritionist-recommended food. He also snagged a box of dark chocolate cookies, but the personal trainer didn’t need to know about those. As he put them away in his new kitchen, he bullied Kaiba over text message, goading him into taking a long lunch and coming over sooner. Whether it was Kaiba’s uncharacteristic interest in his well-being or a desire to criticize Jounouchi’s apartment and taste in decoration as soon as possible, he agreed to meet up early. When Kaiba arrived, take-out salads and iced coffees in hand, he was affronted at the tiny, brightly lit space, admonishing Jounouchi and calling him a couple different well-placed insults for not following doctor’s orders. A few kisses shut him right up - Jou was getting good at that - but it didn’t go much further considering there were no comfortable surfaces in the apartment. That and Jou had started feeling dizzy again.

They sat down on the floor in the living space with Kaiba’s laptop open in front of them, looking through the different furniture offerings from one of the Plaza’s suggested retailers together. “Have you given any thought to color scheme?” Kaiba asked, flicking the screen with a finger and scrolling through the dining sets. 

Jounouchi grunted, lying down on his back and pillowing his head in his hands. “Honestly, I was kinda hoping you’d just pick some stuff for me.”

Kaiba sniffed. “Shows excellent taste, but are you certain?”

“Yeah, I’m not really good at that kinda thing,” he replied, closing his eyes. The room was still looking a bit hazy, and his head had started pounding again. “How long did the doctor say the concussion was gonna last?”

Kaiba looked down at him, eyebrows raised. “Eat something, you’ll feel better.” He nudged the plastic bag he’d brought towards Jounouchi. 

Jou raised himself up just high enough to reach his iced coffee and took a sip. “M’not really hungry.”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. “More like you’ve never willingly eaten a salad before, but okay.” It was silent for a moment except for the gentle clicking of the laptop keys, and then he added, “It has chicken on it.”

Interest piqued but still feeling stubborn, Jounouchi sat up and slid an arm over to the bag, attempting to bring it closer without making noise. Kaiba pretended not to notice. Jou cracked open one of the takeout bowls and took an experimental bite. It wasn’t awful, necessarily. It was a really fancy salad with a lot of toppings, including slices of chicken, but Jounouchi had never chosen to eat a salad before. Salad was the kind of thing that came with food. To offer it as the entire meal was a foreign concept. 

“Yeah, I’m just going to pick everything out for you,” Kaiba said after a moment, “This will take too long otherwise.”

“Ah, you don’t like hangin’ out with me?”

Kaiba shot him a look. “I’m a very busy man, Jounouchi.”

“So you’re always sayin’. What do you actually do all day?”

“Attend meetings, make phone calls, approve plans, reject plans,” Kaiba listed, “As the CEO, I’m the face of the company. I have to be present for all of the high-level decision-making and negotiations.” He dropped his head, pressing his thumb to his temple. “I attend so many meetings.”

“Sounds like a lot of micromanaging to me,” Jou commented, gesturing vaguely with his fork, “You could probably trust a lot of that to your teams, couldn’t you?”

Kaiba stared ahead out the window, eyes narrowed. “Yes, I suppose, but I like to take a more active role in my company. Some CEOs are content with letting others run the show. I am not.”

“Still, you don’t have to have a stranglehold. Maybe I’m bein’ presumptuous here, but you work too hard, Kaiba.”

“That’s what it takes to be as successful as I am.”

Jounouchi sighed, seeing he was getting nowhere and continued eating in silence. Oddly enough, though, the silence felt comfortable. Kaiba continued to scroll through the furniture website, occasionally asking Jou’s opinion, but mostly it was quiet except for the gentle click of his fingernail against the glass screen. Jounouchi found himself lulled by the odd buzz of the absence of sounds and soon was dozing contentedly. 

He was disturbed from his reverie when Kaiba snapped his laptop shut and stood. “The furniture should arrive in a few hours. The movers will assemble it all for you. If the noise disturbs you, I encourage you to come to my office.” He looked down at Jou with soft eyes. “I can put the blinds down so it’ll be dark enough for you to sleep.”

“Uh, thanks,” Jou replied, groggy and unsure what to do with the offer, “I’m fine, though. I can sleep through a lot of stuff.”

Kaiba continued to look down at Jou with the same gentle expression. Then, he knelt by his side, braced a hand against the floor, and bent low to kiss him. His lips pulled at Jounouchi’s, sucking the soft flesh into his mouth and nibbling tenderly with his teeth. He pressed closer, the lengths of their bodies aligning, and both men shivered at the contact. Jounouchi raised his hands to Kaiba’s hips, to draw him closer still, but he was already pulling away, composing himself quickly - though a light flush persistently remained on his cheeks. 

“I’ll come by to pick you up as soon as I’m available,” he promised a bit too ardently, then blushed deeper, “Try to get some rest.”

“I, uh, I will, thanks,” Jou attempted to reply, but Kaiba was already leaving. 

Jounouchi tried to doze back off but found himself feeling restless. He went to his bag and grabbed his laptop, deciding to mess around with it a bit to try and familiarize himself a bit more with the technology. He booted it up and went to his e-mail inbox, noticing with surprise that he had quite a few. A lot of them were the HR department imploring him to complete something called “new employee onboarding”, some were spam e-mails, but one in particular caught his interest. It was an e-mail from Dai, that guy who was related to the emperor. The message was nice, if a bit formal. Dai was expressing how happy he was to have met Jou, how he was looking forward to seeing upcoming duels from him, yada yada blah blah, and requested they stay in-touch as pen pals. Jou smiled to himself. The last time he’d had a pen pal was in grade school, and he thought it was sort of funny that Dai would use that language to describe their sort-of friendship. Still, he was touched, so he wrote a friendly reply back. His formal Japanese had never been great, but he thought it looked alright, all the same. 

Jounouchi then fell to watching Duel Monsters clips on the internet, only pausing when Dai wrote him back, surprisingly quickly. Checking the inbox brought up all of the HR emails again, so after he wrote his reply to his enthusiastic new friend, he grudgingly started working on some of the so-called “onboardings”. It was a lot of stuff about workplace etiquette and company privacy policies. There was a whole module on workplace harassment that Jounouchi legitimately struggled to complete for what he thought were valid and understandable reasons. 

The trainings took so long, the movers arrived to unpack his furniture before he was even halfway finished. The problem was, the modules included quizzes at the end to test what Jou had absorbed, which was pretty close to nothing. Jou’s attention span for things he didn’t care about was laughably low. Maybe Kaiba wouldn’t mind if he just skipped them, although his HR department probably would. 

Deciding he needed a break, he took an active role in the setting up of his new furniture, helping the guys put it all together and position it in the room. Jounouchi had to admit, Kaiba had done well. He’d chosen with Jounouchi’s tastes in mind. The pieces were all basic, the tables and chairs plain but functional. The couch was incredibly comfortable, and it even pulled out into a queen-sized bed, which seemed a little unnecessary to Jou, as he’d also had a king-sized bed squeezed through the front door. Space for guests, maybe, but the bed would have been big enough for four people to sleep comfortably. 

He set the table and chairs up right by the door, the living room set to the side, and had them set up his sleeping area right by the enormous window. He was high up enough that it wouldn’t bother him - no one could look in on him - but the view absolutely could not be beat, and Jou wanted it to be the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night. 

These activities took up most of his afternoon, and when the movers left, he went back to work on his trainings, which almost immediately turned into taking a nap on his new bed. He slept until the sun slipped below the skyline, and he only woke up when his phone started ringing. 

“H’lo?” he asked groggily after fumbling to answer.

“Were you asleep?” 

“Hi, Kaiba. Yeah.”

“Good. Would you still like to go out for dinner?” 

Jounouchi kept the phone pressed to his ear as he rose from the bed, but his feet were unsteady, and he had to drop it to get a grip on the iron bed frame as his vision turned white. The dizziness passed quickly, and he snatched up his phone, relieved to see he hadn’t broken it. On the other end of the line, Kaiba sounded like he was panicking. “Sorry, sorry, I just dropped my phone.”

“Are you alright?” he demanded, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it,” Jounouchi insisted, “Just got a little dizzy. I, uh, don’t have anything to wear to dinner except what I’ve got on now.”

“What you have on will be fine.” Kaiba’s voice sounded strange, and again, unnecessarily gentle. “We can stop by your old apartment after dinner to collect the rest of your things.”

Kaiba’s car pulled up only a few minutes later, and Jounouchi went out to meet it. The driver opened his door for him, and when he slipped inside, Kaiba inclined his head in greeting. “I called Bergdorf’s. They’re having some things sent to your new apartment this evening.”

“Uh, okay,” Jou replied, “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Well, this way, you won’t have to go back to your old neighborhood,” Kaiba clarified, as if it was obvious. 

“I still have stuff there I want,” Jou insisted, “Some stuff can’t be replaced with money. And didn’t you just say we were gonna go?”

“I reconsidered,” Kaiba replied stiffly.

“Well, clothes aside, my old cards are still there,” Jou reasoned, “Can’t replace my Red Eyes.”

Kaiba was silent. Jou knew it was because he was thinking about his own dragons. “Listen,” he continued, “I promise I’ll be quick. You can come in with me and everything. You don’t want me to go alone, right? Well, I won’t be.”

Kaiba tapped his fingers against his knee, sullen and silent. 

Jou reached out and grasped his hand, stilling his motion. “It’ll be fine.”

As it turned out, by the time dinner was over and they were on their way out of the restaurant, Jounouchi was yawning and dragging his feet, and he laid down with his head in Kaiba’s lap the moment they got back into the car. The meal had him feeling lethargic, and the soft rumbling of the engine coupled with Kaiba’s long, thin fingers scratching his scalp immediately lulled him into a peaceful sleep. 

XxxxXxxxXxxxX

The car reached Jounouchi’s old apartment, and Kaiba carefully repositioned the sleeping Jounouchi before stepping out, quickly flanked by two bodyguards. As his feet hit the steps leading up to the front door, two more had joined him. “Keep it running,” he instructed the driver, scowling grimly as he signaled one guard to watch the car and the other the street. 

He lifted the dirty, reed mat with his foot and bent to remove the key hidden underneath, ramming it into the lock on the door and turning. The door gave way, and Kaiba stepped into the small, dingy apartment with his guards. “You, watch the door,” he said to one. To the other, he nodded. “Follow me.”

They made quick work of combing the apartment. Jounouchi truly did not have that many possessions. They bagged what little clothing Kaiba deemed salvageable, a few books that were stacked aside a ratty mattress, a family photo of Jou and his sister, and a single pair of work boots that were in fairly good condition. It was with careful hands that Kaiba cradled a shoebox full of Duel Monsters cards.

Kaiba took one last look around the apartment, his gaze lingering on an old, worn out couch and the television that was set up on the floor in front of it. He crossed to it and knelt, popping a thin memory card out of a slot in the beat-up gaming system sitting aside the television and slipped it into the inner breast pocket of his suit jacket. 

A single blanket was lying in a pile on the couch, slightly threadbare but in decent condition. Kaiba’s eyes then fell to the thermostat on the wall. His lips, fixed in a frown, curled ever so slightly. 

He exited the house, turning off the light and shutting the door behind him. Down on the street, his guards were each restraining two men, holding them solidly to the concrete in spite of their struggling. The guard that had been watching the street was holding the largest of them all with his hands behind his back, feet entire inches off the ground. Kaiba approached the scene calmly. “Which one is the leader?” 

“That’d be me,” the one being held aloft grunted out, sounding out of breath. 

Kaiba cocked his head. “I was not addressing you.”

“Sir,” the bodyguard holding him spoke up, “We apprehended them trying to enter the car from the street side.”

“Trying to sneak into my car?” Kaiba repeated, pacing up to the boss, “Whatever for?”

The boss remained silent. Kaiba nodded to the guard, who twisted the man and pushed him to the ground like the others. 

“I am now addressing you.” Kaiba crouched down. “Why are you here?”

At the man’s continued silence, Kaiba rose with a sigh. “It isn’t as if I’m unaware that you are Hirutani, the leader of the petty little gang in this neighborhood. Nor do I need you to admit to your continued antagonization of my subordinate Jounouchi. No doubt you feel some measure of anger towards him for leaving you to get a taste of real influence, of real power, and being quite successful in this endeavor.”

“Fuck you, rich boy.”

Kaiba chuckled. “Where have I heard that before?” He crouched again, then addressed his guard. “Raise his head.”

The guard complied with no small measure of satisfaction, grabbing a fistful of Hirutani’s hair and yanking. Hirutani whined in pain as he was forced to meet Kaiba’s eyes, which were dancing with dark satisfaction. “I really don’t understand why you thought crossing me would be wise. True, this is your turf, but Jounouchi is mine. You put your dirty, cowardly hands on something that belongs to me, and you hurt it. Do you expect me to forgive that? Would you?”

Kaiba rose again and put a hand on the car door. He turned his head to look at the guard closest to him and said, “Make sure these gentlemen don’t soon forget what happens to people who try to take things from me.” Then, he stepped into the car, shut the door, and ordered the driver to head for Domino Plaza.

His hand returned almost absently to Jounouchi’s hair, stroking his fingers through the blond, silky strands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ey, y'all! i hope you enjoyed the new chap. one million thank-you's to everyone that has left me reviews. they encourage me to continue writing every time I think about them. If you want to interact with me and my writing more, I post pretty frequently on my writing tumblr, @van-ludwig-writes. Follow it for sneak peaks and also feel free to interact w/ me on there about ygo, kaijou, and literally whatever! thx <3


	5. New York City

“Champagne, Jounouchi?”

Jou looked over his shoulder at Kaiba, who leaned against the open doorway calmly, legs crossed at the knees and two delicate champagne flutes in his hand. 

“In a minute,” he replied, casting his gaze back out over the city. New York was beautiful at night, lit up by a billion lights still shining and just as loud and lively as the day. He imagined he could see Brooklyn from across the river, but of course he couldn’t remember which direction his old neighborhood was in. Nor did he have any idea where it would be in relation to where he was now, an upscale hotel in the heart of the city. Standing on their balcony, wearing only a bathrobe to protect him from the cold night air, Jounouchi had never felt so small and yet so large at the same time. 

He felt Kaiba’s presence at his side. The flutes had been filled with a bright, bubbling amber liquid. Jou took one in hand and held it loosely by the rim. “You’ve been here before, lotsa times, right?”

Kaiba nodded. “At least once a year for this gala. I wasn’t going to go this year; you know that.”

“Ever been to Brooklyn?”

Kaiba sipped at his champagne, shaking his head lightly as he did so. “You grew up there?”

Jounouchi ducked his head to his hands, brushing straying bangs away from his eyes. He kept his elbows braced against the railing. He liked the feeling of looking over the balcony down to the streets far, far below; he liked the dizzying sense of vertigo. “Until my parents split. I did fine in Domino, I guess, but sometimes I wonder, y’know? What would’ve happened, I mean, if things had been different?”

“We wouldn’t have met.”

Jounouchi snorted in amusement. “I mean, I guess I wouldn’t have gotten much into Duel Monsters, either.”

Kaiba leaned his back against the balcony railing, looking up into the sky and saying nothing.

“I guess my life wouldn’t have been much better, considering,” he continued with a shrug.

“It’s not worth your time to dwell on things like this.”

Jounouchi looked over at Kaiba, who still had his gaze raised to stars made invisible by clouds and light pollution. “It’s just what I was thinkin’ about right now. Not like I make a habit of gettin’ all emotional.”

“Good,” Kaiba said. He held his champagne flute out, and Jounouchi touched the rim of his glass to Kaiba’s.

 

xxXXxx

 

“Now boarding flight JA0336 to JFK International.”

Jounouchi adjusted his backpack strap, staring forward somewhat nervously as Kaiba exchanged hushed whispers with the head of his security detail over by the flight attendant’s desk. His grip on his bag was tight, but not so much as his grip on the tiny hand of Mokuba Kaiba, who stood at his side looking supremely bored and fiddling with a smartphone. 

Kaiba angled his head and waved to them. Jou squeezed Mokuba’s hand before moving, giving him a quiet “c’mon”. Mokuba shuffled his feet obediently. 

“They’re saying we aren’t allowed to use our private channels on the flight,” Kaiba explained with disdain, holding an earpiece out in the palm of his hand. Jounouchi recognized it as one of the miniature radios Kaiba’s security team used to talk to one another. He had also been given one for the trip. “I suppose it isn’t the largest of inconveniences,” he spat, angling his head so the attendant would be sure to catch the remark, “But you’ll have to keep your radio turned off and in your bag until we land.”

Jounouchi shrugged. Mokuba didn’t even do that much. If he had been listening at all, he gave no indication. 

Mokuba Kaiba proved to be a sullen flight companion. He only opened his mouth once to ask, in a quiet voice, for the window seat. Jounouchi was happy to oblige; he wasn’t such a fan of the miracle of flight and the things it did to his stomach. Not having to physically see the ground drop away would help him pretend he was just riding in some simulation game at the arcade. But Mokuba didn’t seem to care much for Jounouchi, didn’t seem to care much for anything that wasn’t the screen of his phone. 

When the attendant came by to ask them to turn their devices off, both Kaiba Brothers unflinchingly retained their attention on their respective devices. It was impressive but not very polite. Jounouchi placed his hand in the crook of Kaiba’s arm, and when Kaiba finally redirected his gaze, he arched a brow. With a dramatic sigh, Kaiba switched his phone off with the flick of a thumb.

Jounouchi hadn’t even had to ask Mokuba. The second he saw his brother move, he was also putting his phone away into his little backpack. 

They were in motion sooner than Jounouchi would’ve liked, and to distract himself from take-off, he focused on how long was going to have to put up with the sullen brothers - purposely inflating his annoyed feelings at them to override the grip of terror that took hold as soon as the wheels rose from the ground. If Kaiba noticed his slightly watery eyes or white, clenched knuckles, he said nothing.

 

xxXXxx

 

Jounouchi raised his champagne to his lips and took a sip. He didn’t really like champagne, but Kaiba was in some kind of mood, so Jounouchi was just rolling with it. 

“Jounouchi, what is your opinion of me?” 

A mood indeed.

Kaiba was swirling the liquid in his glass, intent on watching it. He gave no indication that he’d spoke, that he’d asked Jounouchi a question.

Jou thought. “Well,” he began, mostly to stall for time, “I guess I don’t really think about things like that so much.”

“Right, but I’m asking.”

Jounouchi worried his lip between his teeth. He straightened up from the balcony, opting to lean against it in the manner Kaiba was, with his back to the city. “I don’t think you’re a nice person,” he started slowly, “You’re not really all that nice to me, but you’re not exactly mean anymore.” Yuugi insisted that Kaiba had changed when all of this had been just a shitty idea instead of a shitty reality. Jounouchi supposed this may at least be partly true. “You’re not a different person now, you’re just less of an asshole. Or, like, an asshole in better ways.”

“An asshole in better ways?” Kaiba parroted, lips quirking.

“Yeah, you know,” Jou insisted, “Like how you don’t call me names anymore, but you’re still a dick to me when I do somethin’ stupid. Like that.”

Kaiba considered this. “I haven’t called you names in a while, have I?”

“Don’t start it back up,” Jou threatened. 

Kaiba chuckled. “I won’t.”

“You laugh more now, too,” Jounouchi pointed out. 

“I do not.” Kaiba sounded affronted. 

“Yeah, you do,” Jou insisted, “You never used to laugh back in school unless it was, like, to make fun of someone. Now, you laugh when something’s funny to you.”

“Nothing is funny to me.”

“Now you’re just bein’ contrary.”

Kaiba smirked. “Am not.”

Jounouchi growled, but that only made Kaiba laugh again, and he realized Kaiba was toying with him. But it was kind of funny and also - more importantly - not at his expense. “You’re provin’ my point, Kaiba. You’re joking with me, but it ain’t because you wanna make fun of me. It’s because you wanna be funny.”

Kaiba was silent for a moment. Then, he said. “And what do you think about,” he paused, then gestured between them with his glass, “This.”

“Can’t pretend to know why you wanted it,” Jounouchi said, shrugging, “You’re a strange guy, Kaiba.”

“How do you feel?”

“About bein’ forced to hang out with you all the time?”

Kaiba frowned.

Jounouchi mirrored the expression. “What do ya want me to say here? That I’m in love with you?”

“No,” Kaiba interrupted.

“Well, I won’t,” Jounouchi continued, “S’far as I’m concerned, this is a business thing.”

“It is.”

“Would ya let me finish?”Jounouchi snapped. He blew a frustrated breath out of his nose. “No, I don’t know why you want to hang out with me all the time, draggin’ me along to shit like this when you could be having a perfectly nice time with any other person in the world.” His grip on the railing tightened. “But I don’t mind it.”

It was quiet for a minute, except for the sounds of the city far below them. 

The breeze blew Jounouchi’s bangs into his face, tickling his nose, and he tucked them behind his ear. “I missed Duel Monsters. I missed dueling. I missed the culture. I don’t really like goin’ to your parties or whatever the hell it is we’re doin’ tomorrow, but it’s...,” he paused, “It’s good to be part of this world again. And I’m grateful to you for giving me that.”

The breeze teased Jounouchi’s bangs from behind his ear and blew them around his face again, but this time he left them go. He felt embarrassed, shy that he had admitted that to Kaiba. But it was true. His life before he’d gotten this deal had been terrible. There was so much he had given up, so much of his person - of who he was - that he’d had to deny in order to survive. And now he didn’t have to anymore. Now he could focus on his dueling strategy and his deck composition, and he didn’t just have the time to, he was getting paid for it. Yes, he was grateful to Kaiba, and he wasn’t sorry he said it.

“I’m putting you in the tournament next month.”

Jounouchi started. Kaiba had spoken much closer to him than he’d been standing. He looked up into Kaiba’s blue eyes, suddenly so close to his own. “Seriously? I thought you said the roster was finalized?”

“It was. I’m changing it.” Kaiba moved away, off of the balcony and into their room. “You’ve shown good progress in the Duel Labs. The technicians think you’ll be able to play against some of the preliminary contenders.”

Jounouchi didn’t know what to say. His desire to enter the tournament was what had started all of this. The ability to play again on the world stage, to be somebody. Not just Katsuya but Jounouchi Katsuya, Battle City Finalist. Maybe this time, he’d take the whole damn thing. Jounouchi Katsuya, Champion. 

He went to turn back around, to look out onto the city again, but Kaiba’s voice stopped him. “Come here.”

Jounouchi looked into the room at Kaiba. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at him. 

“You gotta ask nicely.”

“I don’t. Come.”

It was Jounouchi’s gratitude to Kaiba that helped him quash his anger at the rudeness - that and a primal curiosity to see what he would do next - as he obeyed. He set his champagne flute down on an end table as he crossed the threshold into the hotel room. Kaiba’s eyes said he would likely need both hands for this.

When Jounouchi was at the foot of the bed, he stopped and simply stared down at Kaiba, waiting for him to continue their game. 

Kaiba laid down on the bed and stared back up at Jounouchi, then with a commanding voice, ordered him to untie his robe. Jounouchi did so with fingers trembling, not from fear but anticipation. Kaiba was naked beneath his robe. His breath caught in his chest, and he wondered if it would always feel like this, so exciting and strange. 

“Remove your own robe.”

Jounouchi shrugged it off then moved to straddle Kaiba. 

“Stop,” Kaiba ordered, the word a harsh bark. 

Jounouchi flinched but complied, remaining in a semi-knelt position beside him. 

“You will only do what I tell you to do,” Kaiba explained, voice smooth, “Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

Kaiba hummed thoughtfully. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir,” Jou offered. 

“I prefer Mr. Kaiba, if you’ll remember.”

Jounouchi swallowed the lump clogging his throat and affected an air of confidence. “Yes, Mr. Kaiba.”

Kaiba’s eyelids fluttered shut. “Good.” Then, they opened. “Touch yourself.”

Jounouchi wasn’t prepared for the command. His face flushed as he considered obeying, what that would mean, but he didn’t move right away. He needed to gather his courage. God, this would be weird. He rose from the bed to have both feet on solid ground and began to palm himself self-consciously in small, light strokes. Kaiba’s eyes raked his body from head to heels and back before settling on his face, staring unabashedly. In spite of his embarrassment, the attention was doing it for him, and Jounouchi felt his cock respond eagerly to the scene. 

“Good,” Kaiba purred, voice deep, “Keep going.”

Jounouchi worked himself harder, finding a rhythm and getting into it now. He was still nervous, but now that feeling was almost completely overcome by his libido, raging like an animal inside him as he stared back at Kaiba through half-lidded eyes. Kaiba, who was now touching himself to the sight of Jou. Knowing he was doing that to Kaiba, causing him to need that, was heady, and he wanted more. Jounouchi used his other hand to cup his balls, moaning in his throat, and then traveled the hand across his chest, pinching his nipples as he went. Kaiba made a low, needy sound, so he kept it up, thrusting harder and harder into his hand. 

“Come here,” Kaiba commanded, voice coming out half-choked. 

Jounouchi almost jumped to obey. He moved quickly to Kaiba’s side and was ready to take him into his mouth when Kaiba moved, rolling to the side of the bed to access the nightstand drawer. He withdrew a strange bottle and held it out to Jounouchi. It was lubricant. 

“Prepare me.”

All the nerves he had banished before came flooding back, causing his erection to flag slightly. Prepare Kaiba? Did that mean what he thought he meant? Kaiba’s legs were parted, as he was still touching himself, his hips angled up. Did he really want him to do that?

“I don’t like to repeat myself,” Kaiba cautioned.

“What do I..?” Jounouchi was at a loss, the bottle in one hand, his dick in the other. 

Kaiba’s grip on himself slackened and slowed. He shut his eyes. “Coat your fingers in the lubricant, then put them inside me. One at a time.”

Oh. 

Oh, fuck. 

Jounouchi uncapped the bottle in shaking hands, spreading a thick portion of the cold substance onto his fingers. He rubbed them together to warm it a little better, figuring that would be the appropriate thing to do, then moved towards Kaiba. He stared down at the man a moment, absolutely brimming with apprehension at what he was about to do. He’d never done anything like this before, not even to a girl, and though he’d always been in over his head with Kaiba, this was different. 

Kaiba seemed to sense something wasn’t right with Jounouchi. “Not obeying my orders at all will be worse than obeying poorly,” he said, “Get on with it.” Then, in a much softer voice, thoroughly uncharacteristic for Seto Kaiba, he said, “It’s okay.”

Jou touched his middle finger to Kaiba’s entrance experimentally, running the tip of the finger around it in a small circle. Kaiba sighed a quiet, satisfied breath, and Jounouchi - emboldened - pressed his finger in. Kaiba’s lips parted, and Jounouchi heard the hitch of his breath. He wanted to move it in and out, to mimic thrusting, but Kaiba was just so tight. He was a little afraid he was going to lose his finger. Jounouchi’s head swam a little as he thought about the possibility of actually sticking his dick there. He settled for moving his finger just slightly, a little twisting and curling motion that was almost not a motion at all, but Kaiba seemed to like it. 

“More,” he demanded.

Jounouchi began to thrust his finger slowly in and out. He returned his other hand to his own erection and touched himself idly, wanting the stimulation but hesitant to try to challenge his ability to do two things at the same time. It felt pretty good, but watching Kaiba was, honestly, way more erotic. It was everything about him, really, but mostly the transformation Jounouchi was watching. Kaiba was as vulnerable as Jou had ever seen him right now, and it looked good on him. He looked comfortable, even. His eyes were unabashed as they looked at Jounouchi with hunger and anticipation. His chest and cock were both flushed beautifully, bare and open to Jounouchi’s gaze and touch. 

“Another,” Kaiba ordered, but some of the authority had leaked out of his tone, replaced instead with a tremor of desire. 

Jounouchi complied, adding a second finger, but before he could resume his motions, Kaiba was moving now. Jounouchi’s mouth dropped open and he moaned at the sight of Kaiba fucking himself on his hand. It was, among other things, inspiring. “Mr. Kaiba, permission to suck your cock?” he asked breathlessly.

“Granted,” Kaiba allowed. 

Jounouchi dipped his head down and took the entirety of Kaiba’s dick into his mouth. As his lips hit the base, he added a third finger, and when Kaiba came down on it, he let out a surprised but satisfied moan. 

“Good. Fuck, so good.”

Jounouchi sucked hard, hollowing his cheeks, and lavished his tongue along the underside of Kaiba’s erection. It earned him a delicious groan, so he did it again and again until Kaiba was breathless and keening. He took Kaiba all the way down again, and this time, when the tip hit the back of his throat, he gagged hard. Kaiba liked that a lot, too; he shouted a curse that rang in Jounouchi’s skull. This was Kaiba’s game, but in that moment, he felt so powerful. 

“Stop. Stop, stop,” Kaiba nearly pleaded the words. Jounouchi complied hastily, popping off with a wet noise. Kaiba was glaring. “You will not make me cum until I say. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Jounouchi replied, voice a little raspy. 

“Good,” Kaiba said, sliding up and down on Jounouchi’s fingers slowly, “Good.” His second good had been more of a moan, and now he was looking into Jounouchi’s eyes as he gave his next command: “Prepare yourself for me.”

It was amazing to Jounouchi how someone who was actively fucking themselves with his own hand was able to sound so high and mighty, but Jounouchi complied with swift obedience. With his free hand, he located and uncapped the lubricant, spreading a generous portion onto his erection, then tossed the bottle aside.

“Good. Now lie back.”

Kaiba moved to a kneeling position and allowed Jounouchi to take his place lying against the pillows. Jounouchi was not entirely certain what would happen next. His brain felt foggy with lust, and he honestly didn’t know the first thing about sex with men. 

Kaiba either knew what he was doing or was great at faking it. He positioned himself over Jounouchi and with agonizing slowness began taking himself down on Jounouchi’s cock, centimeter by centimeter. It was every bit as tight at Jounouchi thought it would be, and he fought the mounting urge to cum with every ounce of willpower he could muster. Kaiba felt incredible. The heat, the pressure, and those eyes boring down on him were threatening to loosen his tentative hold on his body. 

When Kaiba reached the bottom, he flexed his muscle, and they both gasped.

“Fuck,” Jounouchi whimpered.

Kaiba took a fluttering breath. “I’m going to move.” 

“Fuck,” Jounouchi repeated. 

Kaiba began to move, a gentle rocking motion of his hips that felt fucking unreal. Jounouchi put his hands on Kaiba’s hips for leverage, and for once, Kaiba did not berate him for doing something without his permission. Jounouchi’s fingers massaged into Kaiba’s skin as he continued to rock and then slide, a tentative motion that grew bolder and bolder at Jou’s silent encouragement. 

Neither of them lasted. Jounouchi hung on valiantly for as long as he could, but when he came, he screamed his release, his vision turning black then white. He wasn’t aware of anything, least of all what Kaiba was doing, but when his vision cleared and he returned to awareness, Kaiba was lying beside him, hands at his sides, and a small pool of his release was gathered in the crevices of Jounouchi’s abdominal muscles. 

Jounouchi reached out with trembling fingers and took Kaiba’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Kaiba squeezed it in return and held on. 

They laid like that for several minutes, soaking in the warm comfort of their afterglow, before Kaiba was the first to break their silence. “Was that your first experience?”

Jounouchi didn’t have enough blood in his head to flush. He let out a slow breath then looked over at Kaiba, who was looking back at him. “Yeah.”

That appeared to not have been the answer Kaiba was anticipating. His eyes went wide, his face grave. “I didn’t know.”

Jounouchi pillowed his free hand behind his head. “Yeah, well, now you do.”

Jounouchi wanted Kaiba to drop it. He deeply, deeply did not want to talk about his virginity with the man who had just taken it. He hadn’t even begun to come to grips with it himself. Sex was something you did with the person you love; he’d always believed that. Did that mean he loved Kaiba? Did it even matter at this point? 

Yes, it absolutely mattered. Because Jounouchi was pretty sure, somehow, that he was starting to love Kaiba. 

 

xxXXxx

 

The Lego Store was certainly hell. It was packed to the walls with wide-eyed, screaming children, whining and clamoring for their guardians to comply with their pleading requests for toys and running around the shop with little regard for the adults trying desperately not to step on them as they waded through the madness. Jounouchi had never considered himself to be the kind of person who got annoyed with a kid’s eagerness, but he was going to have bruises on his thighs from their little elbows slamming into him as they slolemed their way through the crowd. They were knocking things over left and right, and there were certainly not enough employees to deal with the chaos. Their behavior was appalling; Jou wanted to smack them, teach them a lesson about being respectful.

Mokuba didn’t seem to notice any of this. He glided around the shop slowly, unbothered by the rowdiness of his peers. His little hands remained clasped at his sides, never reaching out to touch any of the statues or grab at a particularly tempting toy. After a few minutes of Jounouchi watching this behavior - offset by the madness all around him - he came to two conclusions: one, Mokuba was the only child in Manhattan with manners and two, this was probably a bad thing. He was too reserved, too much like a little adult, and Jou had spent enough time around Kaiba now to know that Mokuba’s behavior was inspired by his older brother’s influence. 

“Hey, Mokuba,” he called, pushing through the crowd and crouching down to be at eye-level with the kid, “See anything you like?”

Mokuba blushed. “A few things.”

“I got an idea,” Jou continued, leaning in conspiringly, “What if we buy the biggest set in this place and take it back to the hotel? I ain’t put together one of these in forever.”

“Did Seto say we could?”

Jou tried not to frown. Had Kaiba told his brother he couldn’t buy anything? “Did he tell you no?”

“Well, no, not exactly, but…,” Mokuba trailed off, blushing harder. 

Jou patted his back. “C’mon, what do yah think of the spaceship one?” He pointed to it.

Mokuba regarded it for a moment. Then, he looked at Jou, his little fingers twisting nervously around each other. Finally, something shifted in his expression and he pointed out a truly elaborate set involving a castle, a dragon, and a price tag so shocking it was even written in red ink. Jounouchi got out his personal bank card, and for the first time on their entire trip, Mokuba smiled. 

They practically ran back to the hotel, Jounouchi hefting the giant, heavy box and Mokuba imploring him to hurry up. As soon as they made it through their hotel room door, Mokuba ran into the suite’s sitting room and cleared a space on the floor. Jounouchi set the box down, and they both tore the packaging open eagerly. 

“Instructions?” Jounouchi questioned as he pulled the thick packet of paper out of the box. 

“Yeah, so you know how the things all go together,” Mokuba explained. 

“I dunno if I’ve ever followed instructions when playin’ with Legos before.” Not that he’d ever really played with Legos much at all, except for a couple of times at Yuugi’s house.

“How else are you supposed to do it?” Mokuba questioned. 

Jounouchi showed him how he knew how to play with the little plastic blocks, snapping them together almost at random. “You can build whatever you want, and all you gotta do is use your imagination!” he declared proudly.

“But,” Mokuba protested, looking confused, “This is a set. The dragon set.”

“Look, man,” Jounouchi said to the child, “We’re gonna build this dragon. An’ it’s gonna be so sweet. I’m just sayin’, it seems wrong to be readin’ instructions on how to have fun.”

Although, it was certainly very Kaiba.

The elder brother didn’t return until later, having gone out to meet with a business associate in the city. He came back looking incredibly tired and holding two enormous boxes of hot, steaming, and very greasy cheese pizzas. 

Mokuba jumped up and announced. “I’ll get the plates, Seto.”

“No, you won’t.” It was Jounouchi who protested. “That’s uncivilized, eatin’ pizza on a plate.”

“How else do you eat pizza?” Mokuba asked, puzzled. 

“Jounouchi, what the hell is that?” Kaiba asked eyes zeroing in on the semi-constructed dragon. 

“We bought Legos,” Jounouchi explained briefly to him before returning his attention to Mokuba, “You grab a slice and lean over the box. Or you don’t, and you maybe get crumbs on your shirt. Usin’ a plate is absolutely out of the question. Usin’ a plate to eat pizza in New York City is a sin.”

Mokuba, bless him, looked so confused. 

“C’mere, Kaiba. Put ‘em down on the table,” Jounouchi said, waving him over, “I’ll teach you brothers how to be civilized.”

Kaiba, glancing between the dragon, Jou, and his little brother, complied. He must have been in one of his rare, indulgent moods. 

“Good, good,” Jou praised, lifting the lid on the box and gazing upon what was truly the most beautiful pizza he had ever seen. “Now, y’see how I’ve got my hand like this? You wanna get kind of a fold goin’ on, otherwise it’ll just flop all over the place.”

“How was your meeting Seto?” Mokuba asked nervously, ignoring Jounouchi. 

Seto shrugged and took a slice, folding it in the center as Jounouchi had instructed. “Productive.”

“We had a productive day, too, didn’t we, Mokuba?” Jounouchi asked.

“Do you remember,” Seto said, “My instructions were not to purchase anything too large to fit in your luggage?”

“Yes,” Mokuba said glumly. 

“It’s going back tomorrow.”

“Now, hold on here,” Jounouchi protested, “We can’t get rid of it; not until we’ve finished building it! And I’m sure we could ship it back separate.”

“The point, Jounouchi,” Kaiba said, “Is that Mokuba received specific instructions from me, and he disobeyed him. He will not be keeping the toy.”

Jounouchi rose to his feet. “Can we talk in the bedroom for a second?”

Kaiba followed Jounouchi into the bedroom and shut the door. “What is this about?”

Jounouchi frowned. “You’re way too hard on your brother.”

“Who are you to question my authority?”

“Someone who knows that kids gotta have rules, yeah, but they also gotta have freedom to be kids.” Jounouchi shook his head. “Mokuba looked miserable in that damn store today. He knew he wasn’t allowed to have fun, but I told him he could get the dragon set.”

Kaiba’s hackles were up. He stalked towards Jounouchi, finger pointed at his chest. “You’re overstepping your boundaries.”

“Just think about it, alright?” Jou shook his head, “I’m not tryin’ to undermine your authority or anything stupid like that. I just want Mokuba to get to be a kid. I wanted to make him smile.” His expression turned dark. “Isn’t it his birthday this week?”

“You think you need to tell me that?” Kaiba countered, “He’s my damn brother, of course I know it’s his birthday.”

“So, let him have the toy. It’ll be a present from me.” Jounouchi shrugged. “Can’t birthday presents be a loophole or somethin?” 

“I don’t like it.”

“Kaiba,” Jounouchi reasoned, crossing his arms, “I’m serious. Mokuba is startin’ to be as wound tight as you. He’s gonna have anxiety soon because of how much he wants to be like you. Doesn’t that scare you, just a little? He wants to be exactly like you, to do the things you do.”

Kaiba considered this. “I have many positive traits.”

Jounouchi growled. “But you’re also an asshole who’s gonna die prematurely from stress.”

Kaiba let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Your point is made.”

“Then I don’t also need to add how scared the kid looked in the store, how quiet he’s been all trip? How puttin’ together that set has been the only thing to make him smile since we left Japan?” 

“No, you didn’t need to add those things,” Kaiba bit, “I know my brother.”

“Then you know how happy this is makin’ him,” Jou pressed.

Kaiba sighed again. 

“C’mon, Kaiba, loosen up a little. Let’s go back, eat some pizza, and you can help me put the damn Lego castle together.” Jou shook his head. “You’ll probably have fun, which I know’ll be new for you.”

Kaiba shrugged off his suit jacket and toed off his shoes. “Fine,” he said, “But make it clear to Mokuba this was a birthday present from you, therefore he did not violate my rule.”

Jounouchi saluted. “You got it, boss.”

He walked back into the living room, announcing this fact loudly. Mokuba was sitting by his dragon, looking horrified, but his expression morphed first to disbelief then to a happy smile as his brother and Jou came back to join him on the floor. 

 

xxXXxx

 

“Jounouchi, what’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing’s the matter with me.”

The cabin of the airplane rocked slightly as it rode against a choppy wind.

“Something is absolutely the matter with you. Your hands are shaking.”

Jounouchi smiled unconvincingly. “They always do that.”

The airplane hit another bump, and Jounouchi squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe.

Mokuba had fallen asleep, as had many of the passengers around them. It was uncertain whether or not it was physically nighttime in the locations they were currently flying over - everything was dark and it was always ocean whenever he looked out the little window - but Jounouchi’s body was screaming for rest his mind would not allow him to have. He didn’t know how anyone could sleep with the horrible shaking and weaving the plane was doing.

“Can you cut the bullshit and tell me what’s wrong?” Kaiba demanded, grabbing Jounouchi’s hand and squeezing it in a dissonantly affectionate gesture. “You’re shaking and your skin feels cold. Are you afraid of something?” Kaiba’s mind worked faster than Jounouchi could talk, it seemed. “Are you afraid of flying?”

Jounouchi stared at his knees. “I think it’s pretty reasonable of me to be upset by what’s happenin’ with this plane right now.”

Kaiba exhaled slowly. “It’s not actually moving as much as you think. This turbulence is very mild. It only feels like the plane is shaking because we’re inside it.”

More rocking. This time, it was almost like a vibration. Jounouchi tensed. Kaiba sighed. 

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Jounouchi countered, eager to talk about something, anything else. 

“I don’t sleep during flights,” Kaiba replied, tone clipped.

“Aren’t you tired, though?”

“Of course I’m tired,” Kaiba conceded, “But I don’t sleep on flights.”

“Now, you don’t like to sleep or you can’t sleep?”

“I won’t.”

“You’re bein’ obtuse.”

“Did someone teach you some new words, Jounouchi?”

“Don’t deflect me. I told you I’m afraid. Now you tell me your thing.”

Kaiba sighed again. 

“C’mon, Kaiba,” Jounouchi needled.

Kaiba’s eyes darted around. He looked like he would speak then, strangely, lost his nerve. Jounouchi stroked his thumb across Kaiba’s knuckles. His lips pursed in response. “People,” he said simply, “Other people.”

“You can’t fall asleep unless you’re alone?”

“Is that so strange?”

It was strange to Jounouchi in the sense that it was a completely foreign feeling. He’d never had trouble falling asleep in front of strangers, in crowds, but then again, he’d often had to, one way or another. Nights with the gang, getting kicked out of the house, and other stuff he’d had to deal with over the years. Kaiba had probably almost always had access to a private room. 

“You will always be overpowered by the enemy you cannot see,” Kaiba said, like he was reciting something from memory. “People can do anything to you if you aren’t conscious. So I don’t make a practice of being so in public spaces.”

Jounouchi thought for a moment. That sentiment, at least, he could relate to, although he doubted Kaiba had been taught that particular lesson nearly as thoroughly as himself. But it was better to be off-guard and well-rested than so exhausted you aren’t lucid when someone tries to mess with you. He wasn’t sure arguing the point with Kaiba would get him anywhere, though, and he really didn’t want Kaiba to question where he’d gotten that particular bit of wisdom. “Do you want to trade places with me?”

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. He appeared to be thinking too hard about the question. 

“Our seats,” Jounouchi clarified, “That way I’ll be in the aisle. I won’t be able to fall asleep with all this turbulence, so I can at least stand guard for you.”

Jounouchi watched in real-time as Kaiba weighed the possibility that Jounouchi would take advantage of his unconscious state. It wasn’t at all flattering - until Kaiba placed his hands on his knees and rose. Jounouchi half-crawled across the seats while Kaiba tried to shuffle past, and then Jounouchi was in the aisle seat, Kaiba safely nestled between him and Mokuba. 

“You’re going to be alright?” Kaiba asked.

Jounouchi shrugged just as the plane hit another bump. He steeled himself and smiled. “Sure. I mean, we’ll be there in another couple of hours, right?”

“Six.”

“Yeah, no big deal,” Jounouchi repeated, somewhat hollowly, “I’ll see you then.”

After the promised six hours, when they finally got off of the airplane, Jounouchi barely had the presence of mind to acknowledge they were in America. Long before he’d boarded that dreadful aircraft, he’d imagined that reaching America would feel like an accomplishment, and like in the movies, he would look around the airport in wonder, then rush to the window to see how different everything looked on the other side of the world. But he was too tired for starry-eyed observations now. He hadn’t slept in what felt like days - his brain was too fried from the hours of phobia to make an exact calculation - and Kaiba had drilled him on American etiquette for the last two hours of their travel time. It had been exhausting, and he hadn’t wanted to do it. He hadn’t really even agreed to it. But Kaiba - ever the bastard - justified his insistence by citing something in their contract, to which Jounouchi realized it didn’t really make any sense to try and get his way with Seto Kaiba. The man would do what he wanted, just as he always had, just as he always will do, forever and ever. Amen. 

Man, he was tired.

As soon as they reached their hotel room, Jounouchi’s body hit the bed and he was asleep. 

 

xxXXxx

 

The gala was awful. 

Jounouchi hadn’t previously had a true appreciation for the cultural differences between the United States and Japan. Certainly, he’d been aware that there were some. The food was different, the manners were different, stuff like that. Kaiba had told him not to bow to anyone, but rather he should shake their hands. Jounouchi didn’t think he was going to have too hard of a time, as Japanese etiquette didn’t really come naturally to him, anyway. 

Then they reached the convention center and the limo pulled up to the entrance - and a crowd of angry protestors. Everyone was holding signs Jounouchi couldn’t read - he’d never been that good at English - and they were screaming. Loud, violent screams and chants that Jounouchi also couldn’t understand, although he did pick out a few choice profanities. Kaiba was already on his phone, speaking quickly to whoever was on the other end of the line about an alternative entrance into the venue. The crowd roared at their parked limo, and Jounouchi did his best to ignore them. Hands slapped at the glass window, and he shrunk away. 

What did the Americans think they were doing?

When Kaiba finally received directions to a back entrance, they were blessedly able to escape the crowd and shuffle in through a service door. Although things inside weren’t much better. The gala attendees, unlike the political party he’d attended in Japan, were all obnoxiously loud and considerably drunk, speaking to one another in shouting, uninhibited tones that made the entire room ring with the cumulative force of their voices. And as soon as the first person spotted Kaiba, a gaggle of partygoers flocked to him and latched on, not to leave his side for the remainder of the event. They were always there, hovering like a cloud of gnats. There would be no casually sliding Kaiba away from this crowd, no private moment where he could calm the man’s anxieties with a soothing touch. 

Jounouchi was at a loss. Between the crowd inside and the crowd outside, it looked like everyone in America would scream themselves hoarse about whatever or whomever it was they were attending this gala for. Anytime anyone would try and shout conversation at him, he merely shrugged and said a few phrases in Japanese. They would then bellow one of the few English words Jounouchi knew - “sorry” - and scurry away. 

Someone eventually stepped up onto a stage at the far end of the ballroom, and the buzz of conversation turned to thunderous applause. He delivered a speech that was actually slow enough for Jounouchi to catch a few words from, but all the while, Kaiba remained encased in a crowd of eager conversationalists, momentarily quieted by the speaker but not to be lured from their coveted position at his side. Jounouchi couldn’t touch him all night. 

On the limo ride back to their hotel, they got stuck in some truly horrific traffic, badly enough that Kaiba became frustrated and insisted they walk the rest of the way. It was only several dozen blocks, after all, and the night was chilly but not cold. America was having an unseasonably mild winter, unlike at home. 

When they stepped out of the limo, Jounouchi took Kaiba’s hand. “Sorry about everything back there.”

Kaiba merely shrugged his shoulders. “You couldn’t have done anything.”

“I helped you at the last party we went to. I wanted to, but there were all those people around you.”

“It is what it is. I am fine, however, so there’s no need to be regretful.”

Jounouchi wasn’t too much shorter than Kaiba, but he had to make a conscious effort to keep pace with his long strides. They were walking down a street lined with shops. Now that he had actually developed something of an interest in fashion, he was inclined to stop and look at a few of the shops, but he didn’t say so. He was more inclined to go back to the hotel and curl up under the sheets. 

“Those Americans were insane back there. I mean, what was with that crowd outside?”

Kaiba snorted. “Protestors. They don’t approve of wealth.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The man who threw the gala is a very rich man here in New York, and people don’t like anything about his money. They don’t like how he uses it, they don’t like how he made it. Really, they were probably hoping to tear him limb from limb and take it for themselves.”

“That can’t be true.”

Kaiba’s lips quirked up. “It is. Certainly, they have moral crusades to hide behind, political issues they can cite when defending their hatred of him. But it all boils down to the fact that he has wealth and they do not. When people see someone who has done well in life, they hold him up to themselves like a mirror. Feelings of inadequacy breed resentment.”

Jounouchi couldn’t help but think of Yuugi, his gaming prodigy of a best friend, and all of the things he’d won while Jounouchi cheered from the loser’s box. When he won Duelist Kingdom, he gave Jou his prize money. When Jou was nearly killed in Battle City, Yuugi took it all and saved them from Marik. How he lost to Zigfried in the Grand Prix, and how Yuugi was able to play in the final on a technicality to, once again, win it all. He’d never once resented Yuugi for being so skilled where he was not. He certainly didn’t resent Yuugi for going pro right out of school when he couldn’t. Envy him, sure. Hate him? Never. 

They went a few more blocks in silence before Jounouchi thought of another question to ask. “Did you get to spend any time with Mokuba yet?”

“No,” Kaiba replied stiffly, “I’ve been too busy with my work.”

“Kaiba, I think you’re gonna have to accept that you’ll always have work to do,” Jounouchi said, trying to sound gentle but feeling actually kind of angry with him, “There’ll always be somethin’ else to work on. There won’t always be Mokuba.”

Kaiba seemed to absorb this. 

“He’s gonna grow up before ya know it, and then he’s gonna be gone. Take the day off tomorrow an’ go do something with him.” Jounouchi inhaled sharply. “You’re just never gonna know if it’s the last time you’re gonna get to.”

“I will.”

There was a brief, awkward silence, and then Kaiba squeezed Jounouchi’s hand. 

“Thank you.”

 

xxXXxx

 

The day before they left, Jounouchi visited his grandmother’s grave. 

Kaiba had offered to come with him, then had offered to at least drive, but the trains ran almost all the way out to the village where Jounouchi’s family was buried, so he rode to there and walked the rest of the way. It was the way he’d always done it, and it somehow felt important to continue the tradition, particularly since he was the only one left now. He’d always visited his grandmother’s gravesite with his father, but now his father was buried there, too. Jounouchi Senior’s stone sat next to his grandmother’s, but Jounouchi still didn’t think of it as their shared gravesite. This was his grandmother’s grave, and it just so happened that his father’s was also here now, too. It had happened too recently for him to make that kind of adjustment. 

“Hey, Nan,” Jounouchi said quietly, smiling as he laid down the small bouquet of flowers he’d brought. “How’s it goin’?” 

There was a beat of silence. Wind whistled through the air, rustling the bare branches of the nearby tree and stirring the dead leaves on the ground. It would snow soon.

“Things are going really well for me right now. Most of this year didn’t, if I’m bein’ honest, but my luck’s really turned around. I’m gonna play in the Champion’s Melee next month. You probably don’t know what that is, huh? It’s Duel Monsters, Nan, y’know that card game I’m always playing?” Jounouchi crouched down, resting his forearms on his knees. “I’m doing that for my job. Duel Monsters is a big thing now, kinda like soccer. You died a while ago, so you never really got to see me play in anything important, but I promise it’s a lot more than when me an’ Yuugi used to play on that card table in your living room. There’s stages an’ lights an’ holograms. Er, that’s like a picture that’s, uh, like a projection, I guess? You know what a projector does? Well, they’re basically these solid, moving pictures that look like the flat ones on the cards. It’s pretty cool.”

Jounouchi shrugged his shoulders, bringing his arms in tighter to his body. His coat kept him pretty warm, but his face was starting to turn pink from cold.

“An’ I’m seeing someone, kinda. You like hearing about that kinda stuff, right? Yeah, I met someone. Well, technically, we went to school together. He’s not nice or anything like that. Well, I guess he is, in his own way of being nice. He’s the one who invented the monster projections and runs the big tournaments. He’s kinda my boss since he’s the one who’s sponsoring me, but we’re seeing each other, too. It’s complicated.” 

Jounouchi shivered.

“Nan, I’m in over my head with this guy. He’s really powerful, and he seems like he likes telling me what to do more than he likes me. He’s makin’ me go to America with him tomorrow. That’s kinda why I’m here a day early. Sorry, by the way. But he wants me to go with him to some political thing, like a party or whatever. And there’s other stuff I can’t really tell you about, too. We’ve only been together for like a week or so now, but like I said, I knew him since high school. He always liked pushing me around, and sometimes this whole thing with him just seems like a different way for him to keep pushing me around.”

“But I really need the money, an’ the job’s too good to even think of passing up on. With him sponsoring me, I’m doin’ what I love to do again. For the first time in years, I feel like myself. I can’t walk away from that, but I’m worried I’m sacrificing my dignity here.”

A bird began to sing, perched on a branch in the dead tree. It was a short, trilling sound that punctured the otherwise stillness of the air. 

“If I’m being completely honest, it’s not like I’m only with him for this job, at least not anymore. Like I said, in his own way he’s nice. But he’s other things, too. He’s a proud guy, so he wouldn’t like me sayin’ this, but he cares a lot what other people think. I think that’s why he’s kind of a jerk a lot of the time. He feels like he’s gotta protect himself from people. Crowds make him nervous, so I don’t think he really likes being such a public figure. But he’s good at his job. Pretty sure the only thing he loves more than his company is his little brother.” Here, Jounouchi stood. “I’m sure I’m being boring, going on and on about this guy. I’m just so confused. I don’t see this whole thing I have with him ending well. But I want it too, a lot. I want us to work out. I really think I like this guy.”

Jounouchi turned to the gravestone beside his Nan’s.

“Bet you heard all that, huh, Dad? Bet it doesn’t surprise you your son’s dating a man now. You were always yelling at me for bringing Honda over and letting him stay the night. Well, I’m seeing a man, Dad, and I like him a lot.”

Jounouchi crossed his arms over his chest and shivered. He shouldn’t stay out too much longer. The walk back to the train would warm him up, but he absolutely hated the cold. 

“I don’t really have anything to say to you. I guess, thanks for keeping a roof over my head for so long. When you kicked me out, things were hard. Real hard. I had trouble scrapin’ by, worried about things I never worried about when I lived with you. I guess it’s my fault for becoming an adult, huh? Always my fault.”

He turned and went, hands in his pockets and head bent low against the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to remind you all that if you want to follow updates on my progress with writing these chapters, you're always welcome to follow my author tumblr at @van-ludwig-writes.tumblr.com ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	6. Several Fights

“I sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!”

The machines whirred loudly as Jounouchi removed his cards from the field and into the graveyard, placing Red Eyes in their place. The hologram dragon materialized dramatically, wings unfolding to the ceiling as it let out a shrieking roar.

“Red Eyes, attack!”

His dragon obeyed, launching an incredibly realistic fireball towards his opponent’s end of the field. Jou shielded his face with his arm as the blowback whipped around him and the enemy monster shattered into a million shards of light. There was an electronic horn blare, and then the form of Red Eyes let out another cry as a robotic voice came over the loudspeakers to announce: “Winner! Jounouchi Katsuya!”

He powered down his duel disk, and Red Eyes dematerialized, fading slowly out of existence. That battle had been hard, and he was surprised at how physically exhausted he felt. He shrugged out of his suit jacket, setting it down along with his duel disk on a table that had been set up near the mock playing field. Next, he rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up to the elbows, resisting the urge to use the fine fabric to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“Three to zero, Jou,” came another voice from the loudspeaker, this one far more human-sounding than the announcing robot, “Although, I would hesitate to rely on that roulette strategy working out every time.”

“If you’ve got notes, you can say ‘em to my face!” Jounouchi called up to the high window where he knew the duel techs were watching his battles from. They were the ones running the simulations, the geeks behind screens that brought the duels to life.

“You know it’s our job to coach you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jou waved his hand back and forth, rolling it at the wrist flippantly. “Can we break for lunch now, or what?”

“We’re not on schedule yet,” the voice from the box said, “I’m sorry, but you still have two more duels to go until we’ll be on track for what Mr. Kaiba expects.”

“That guy can come down here an’ duel me himself if he’s so worried about my performance!”

Jou raised his arms above his head and stretched until he heard his spine pop. “Aah,” he sighed to himself. To the booth, he called, “Well, I’m hungry, so I’m gonna text Chiro. I need to make some adjustments to my spell cards, anyway.”

The man in the booth sighed over the loudspeaker but didn’t voice a protest, so Jou picked his phone up off of the table and shot a quick text off to Kaiba’s assistant. He sat down heavily in the folding chair that had been set up next to the table for him while he waited for her to reply and popped his deck out of his duel disk, fanning the cards out in front of him. His deck was damn near perfect, but he was pretty sure there was a better choice for his strategy than Twin Twisters.

Ever since he’d touched back down in Japan a few weeks ago, it had been non-stop tournament preparation at Kaiba HQ. He hadn’t yet gone so far as to start sleeping in the Duel Labs, but every night was a late night spent either running the simulators or pouring over enemy strategies in the database. The tournament contenders were well-documented in Kaiba’s system since they were all previous winners, and Jou had analyzed all of their strategies inside and out. He knew what every face-down card would mean for every player, had planned for every surprise, and it was so unlike him that he was starting to feel like Kaiba himself. But that was what Kaiba expected from him on his debut as a KC sponsored duelist: perfectionism.

It took nearly all of the fun out of dueling. Jounouchi hoped the other contestants had changed their strategies from the ones in the database. He wanted surprises out of his duels. Knowing what your opponent was planning and thwarting him systematically was a boring way to play. Yeah, it would help him win more, probably, but - and Jounouchi wouldn’t dare say this to Kaiba’s face - dueling wasn’t always about winning. He’d lost enough times to know that. He might not even express that opinion to Yuugi anymore. Yuugi hadn’t always cared about being the best, but when he actually became the best, the King of Games, well. It seemed to Jounouchi that the title had restructured Yuugi’s priorities a bit, even after Atem left. Perhaps especially so.

All of his friends, it seemed, dueled with a chip on their shoulder. He didn’t, though. He’d always been called the underdog in every tournament he played, and he was certain this one would be no different. Entering late, only having started his career about a month ago, and coming from “nothing”, that’s what people would see and judge him by. They would call him underdog for it and not expect him to get past semifinals. Jounouchi was alright with that. He would do his damndest to prove them wrong, but if he didn’t, then the better duelist would win, and Jounouchi would have played a really fun, challenging game with a worthy opponent. What more could he ask for?

His phone buzzed with a reply from Chiro, suggesting the sushi place in the plaza across the street, and Jounouchi eagerly placed his order with her. He then shot off a quick “sushi?” text to Kaiba himself, who replied almost instantly.

_You’re supposed to be in training._

Jounouchi scoffed out loud, rolling his eyes. Really, how many people in this building thought he could work his magic on an empty stomach? Chiro was the only person who really cared about him, evidenced by how she was always trying to buy him lunch, dinner, and then second dinner on the nights when he stayed in the labs until the security people came by to check to see if someone had broken in to rob the place or if he really was still working at that hour. That woman was sent to him by some benevolent god to deliver him from the cruelty of his workaholic coworkers and boss

_yeah but hungry .. .. .. tell chiro if u want_

He turned his attention back to his deck. During the actual tournament, there would be fifteen contestants total, including himself. That meant there would be a first round, a second round, a preliminary, and then the final. One person would have to automatically proceed beyond the first round, thanks to Jounouchi’s late entry. He hoped he wouldn’t be the person skipping round one. He didn’t want anyone thinking he was getting special treatment.

Eating lunch together would only distract you from your training. I’ll see you for dinner this evening.

Kaiba was right about that. Jounouchi would be too distracted by Kaiba’s presence to concentrate. Things weren’t weird or awkward between them or anything, but Jounouchi was still having a hard time processing what had happened in New York. They’d had sex, like, for real. Not just Jounouchi giving him head or anything, but they’d actually done it. And Jounouchi had been the one to do it to Kaiba. It had been beyond amazing, but they hadn’t done it again since then, and Jounouchi was worried. Normally, Kaiba would initiate that kind of physical intimacy pretty regularly. At least, they always made out in his office every day. But ever since they came back, Kaiba had been distancing himself, claiming he was too busy with tournament prep and how Jounouchi should also be too busy to worry about their time spent together. And Jounouchi was pretty sure he should feel relieved that he was getting let off the hook from doing things with Kaiba, but he didn’t.

_My place?_

That bastard Kaiba had wormed his way into Jounouchi’s heart, and now the spaces in his thoughts that would normally be occupied by feelings of hatred and disgust were now home to concern and caring. He liked Kaiba, probably a lot more than he would admit even to himself. He was cold and prickly but also tender, insecure, and human in so many surprising ways. Jounouchi never would have imagined this being the result of the contract he entered with Seto Kaiba, and he was certain Kaiba wouldn’t welcome the addition of an emotion like love into the exchange.

_Yes. 7pm._

Jounouchi sighed, setting his phone down. He supposed that was the most he could hope for. He’d get Kaiba to his apartment and then he’d ask him…

… Ask him what? If he felt the same way? Why he was being so distant? All of Kaiba’s excuses about being busy with work were plausible. This would be the largest tournament in Domino since Battle City, and the other contestants would begin arriving to the city any day now. Day one of the tournament was only a week away. Of course Kaiba would be busy and stressed. But wasn’t it Jounouchi’s job to make him feel less stressed?

Maybe that’s what he’d do. Leave work early, go to the grocery store to get things to make a nice dinner, maybe light some candles. He’d put on some relaxing music for them, and maybe they’d just talk or maybe they’d do more. Kaiba might want to talk about what happened in New York. It was possible he was avoiding Jounouchi because he didn’t want to talk about that. Jounouchi didn’t really want to talk about it either. But maybe they needed to.

“You ready to do one more?” Jounouchi called up to the tech booth, “I’ve probably got, like, fifteen minutes!”

They ran a quick duel that ended in a handily played victory for Jounouchi. Chiro arrived with lunch just in time to watch Jounouchi’s Time Wizard turn his opponent’s monster to dust as his life point counter hit zero. She clapped enthusiastically and sat with him while he ate. They talked a little bit about the tournament and a little bit about Chiro’s friends and the things they did together over the weekend. Jounouchi liked talking to Chiro. She was a cute girl with adorable hobbies, like visiting cat cafes and eating desserts that looked like cartoon characters. He thought, not for the first time, how easy it would be to have a crush on her if fate had just been a little bit kinder to him.

After lunch, he knocked out several more victories and only one loss. The techs were prepared to slot up another simulation as the clock hit four in the afternoon, but Jounouchi waved for them to stop and gathered his things, telling them he was leaving. They were opposed to quitting early but that seemed mostly for show, as they were first out the door before Jou could even finish packing his things back into his backpack.

Jounouchi went to the grocery store near his apartment and picked up some fresh basil and spinach. When they’d been in New York, he’d had an Italian dish called pesto that he’d never tried before, but it had been good enough to stick in his mind as something he would probably expend the effort to try and make for himself. Kaiba had liked it, too, so it seemed like a good way to get him to eat a good meal. Jounouchi knew Kaiba tended to skip his meals when he was stressed.

It was as Jounouchi was having this thought in the grocery store that he realized he may actually be better at his job than he’d previously thought. Kaiba made a big show of hiring him to help manage his stress levels, and at the time Jounouchi had presumed this was just a cover up for the real reason. But the deeper he got into this, the more he had his doubts. He went to Kaiba’s public appearances and managed his anxiety. He harped on Kaiba to get regular meals, even going so far at this point as to be preparing one for him. He’d gotten Chiro to block out times for Kaiba to go to the personal fitness center, and even if he just approved paperwork while jogging on a treadmill, it was still good for him to be exercising. Even beyond the physical, they talked about things together. Kaiba confided in Jounouchi, insofar as Seto Kaiba possessed the ability to open up to another person. And the touching, well, it wasn’t always sexual. Jounouchi held his hand in the backseat of the limousine, touched him discreetly on his shoulder and elbow in public, leaned against him when Kaiba would try to show him something on the dueling database. They touched a lot, actually, and only some of it was when they groped at each other in Kaiba’s office or Jounouchi’s apartment.

Things like that, well, they were things lovers would do. Not just hookups, but lovers.

Jounouchi made it to his apartment building, and as he crossed the threshold into the lobby, the woman behind the front desk stood up. “Mr. Jounouchi.”

“It’s Katsuya,” he said to her, “We’ve been through this. At least drop the mister stuff.”

“Jounouchi,” she corrected, “Please come here a moment.”

Jounouchi raised his eyebrows. He walked over to her desk and set his grocery back down on the countertop. “What’s up?”

“A gentleman came by today and asked me to give you this.” Her tone was cool and professional, as it always was, but she handed him then envelope with trembling hands.

“Thanks,” Jounouchi replied, “Uh, do you want me to open it here, or...?”

She shook her head. “Not necessary.” Then, she laid her trembling hand on his forearm. “Please be safe, Mr. Jounouchi.”

Jounouchi furrowed his brows. “The guy who came in here lookin’ for me, what was he like? Tall, long hair tied back, big shoulders?”

She nodded.

Jounouchi pushed a breath past his lips. Hirutani. “Thanks.”

He carried his groceries and the letter to the elevator, but he didn’t open it up until he was safely inside his apartment. Even then, he checked the entire place top to bottom to make sure Hirutani hadn’t been inside. Everything looked untouched, which was good, but the fact that he’d even have the nerve to come into Jounouchi’s building - never mind how he’d learned Jou’s new address - was alarming. He would have to be more careful. He thought that beating in the alley had been the end of it, but Jounouchi knew better than to believe a guy like Hirutani would give up when he felt like something was owed to him.

Jounouchi walked to the window and opened the letter up. Inside, there was a Duel Monsters card, a Kuriboh. It was torn and stained with a dark red substance. Jounouchi’s heart plummeted, and his phone was in his hand in an instant, dialing Yuugi.

The phone rang and rang and rang, and with each passing second, Jounouchi’s stomach clenched tighter and tighter. Then, finally, Yuugi picked up.

“Hey, buddy,” Yuugi greeted, “What’s going on?”

“Hey, Yuug’,” Jou replied, trying for normalcy, “You busy with tournament prep?”

“Oh my god, yes,” Yuugi moaned, “Kaiba is driving me crazy, but I’m sure he’s leaning on you even harder. I don’t think I’ve left my house in a week.”

“Yeah, I kind of live at HQ now.”

Yuugi laughed. “I’ll bet. So what’s up?”

Jounouchi’s mind raced. Should he tell Yuugi? “Just checkin’ in. I know we’ve both been pretty busy, so I’m sorry I haven’t called.”

“How was New York? Did you get to see Shizuka?”

“Nah, I didn’t let her know I was gonna be over there.”

“What?! Why?”

“I mean, she’s so busy with school, you know?”

“I think she’d still be hurt if she found out you were in New York and didn’t even tell her. Did you see Anzu, at least?”

“No, I didn’t think of it.”

“Didn’t think of it?” Yuugi repeated. “Jou, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine, Yuugi.”

“Did something happen in New York?”

“No, no!” Jou lied, “Everything’s good. Anzu’s probably crazy busy, too. I didn’t have a lot of time, and we weren’t there super long or anythin’. Maybe we could go together to see her an’ Shizuka sometime soon. After the tournament is over?”

“Yeah,” Yuugi agreed, albeit hesitantly, “You can pay for my flight when you win the prize.”

Jounouchi laughed. It sounded hollow even to his own ears. “Yeah, yeah. Listen, buddy, I’ll talk to you again soon, alright? Maybe go out for dinner this week?”

“Yeah, Jou, see you.”

Jounouchi hung up feeling worse than before. He checked the contents of the envelope again. A previously unnoticed slip of notebook paper had been nestled behind the bloody card. Jounouchi read it:

We need to talk, Kat. Meet me at the docks tomorrow after sundown. Show up or the card won’t be the only thing of yours I break.

The card was his Kuriboh, then. It must have been left behind at his apartment. Jounouchi looked again, and then he was sure it was the Kuriboh that Yuugi had given him back in high school. He hadn’t even noticed it was gone. He felt bad about the symbolism of that.

Jounouchi attempted to process the contents of the envelope while he started getting dinner ready. He wasn’t going to meet Hirutani, obviously. It was clear the man felt Jou owed him something, probably money, and he would have no problem using violence to get it. No, the smartest thing to do would probably be to turn the envelope over to the police and let them handle the threat. He was too busy with the upcoming tournament to be dealing with Hirutani’s shit.

Kaiba showed up about an hour later, a prim knock at the door signalling his arrival. Jou crossed the apartment to open it, greeting him with a smile. “Hey, I’m glad you made it.”

Kaiba removed his coat and hung it on the rack by the door along with his suit jacket. “I’m glad I made it, too. Preparing for this tournament has been one headache after the other.”

Jounouchi went back to the kitchenette to continue watching the pan on the stove. “Is the venue finished yet?”

Kaiba scrubbed his face with his hands. “Yeah. The Superdome people are being incredibly annoying about what we want to install, but we finally got the licenses signed with them yesterday, so work started today on the duel platform upgrades.”

“Sounds like it’s gonna be fun to play there.”

“It’s certainly going to be something to watch.”

Jounouchi raised his eyebrows and grinned. “You gonna tell me yet? All the techs have been super secretive about it.”

Kaiba shook his head. “It’ll be a surprise for you, and you’ll enjoy it more that way.”

Jounouchi smiled as he continued to stir the food. It was nice that Kaiba was trying to surprise him. It felt a little like anticipating a birthday gift.

“What’s that?”

Jounouchi looked up. Kaiba’s eyes were on the envelope, still sitting open on the coffee table where Jou had left it.

“Oh, uhm, it’s nothin’.”

Kaiba turned his head towards Jounouchi and arched an eyebrow. “You get all of your mail to the office, and besides, it’s unmarked.”

Jounouchi turned the burners off of the stove and went to retrieve the letter. “If I tell you, it’ll only make you worry about me.”

Kaiba scoffed. “Me? Worry about you? Perish the thought.”

Jou snickered. “Yeah, whatever, asshole.” His fingers toyed with the edge of the Kuriboh card, still tucked inside the envelope. “So, before I say anythin’ about it, I want you to know I am gonna go to the police with it. Just so you don’t think I’m gonna do anything dumb.”

Kaiba’s eyes snapped to his sharply. “The police?”

Jounouchi handed him the envelope. “Remember that guy who roughed me up in that alley, like, the first day I started?”

Kaiba pinched the bloody Kuriboh card between his index and forefinger. “He’s still threatening you?”

Jounouchi frowned. Kaiba sounded surprised. “Well, yeah. I was in that crew for a while, and they don’t really like it when you leave. Especially leave an’ start doin’ better.”

Kaiba placed the card back into the envelope. “You’re right to take this to the police. This is a serious threat.”

“I mean, it’s not like I can’t handle things myself.”

Kaiba pursed his lips.

“I know what happened that first time, but I’ve gotten stronger since then,” Jou continued, walking back into the kitchen to plate their dinners. The food actually had turned out nicely, and Jou was eager to try it and see if it tasted as good as it looked. “But I jus’ don’t have the time to be gettin’ into that kinda stuff with the tournament coming up.”

Kaiba rose from his seat on the couch when Jounouchi came out with their dinner and followed him to the small dining table. Only then did Jou notice he was carrying a brown paper bag, so he went back to the kitchen to fetch some wine glasses.

“I didn’t know what you were making, but Chiro said I should get something,” Kaiba offered as an excuse for his thoughtfulness.

They chatted more about Jounouchi’s training while they ate. Kaiba was very interested in his progress and pleased at the improvement he was showing. Jounouchi knew that meant the simulations would only get harder to defeat on the run-up to the tournament, but he was always eager for a challenge, so he didn’t entirely mind.

Jounouchi fidgeted with his wine glass while Kaiba went on, at length, about the hell on Earth it had been to get the licenses with the Domino City Superdome. He wanted to bring up what had happened in New York, wanted to ask why he seemed so afraid to touch Jounouchi after what had happened between them. Just being in the same room as Kaiba, Jounouchi was starting to feel the pull of the magnetism between them. He watched Kaiba’s lips move and imagined biting down on his soft lower lip, imagined the faces and sounds he would make if they had sex again. He wanted it, wanted Kaiba, and as he sipped at a second then third glass of wine, he felt more and more like he would say something. Either that or jump Kaiba’s bones, whichever was easier. Probably the latter, but Jounouchi felt it was important to at least try to talk first.

He waited for a lull in Kaiba’s ramblings about the nightmare world that was working with the Domino City bureaucracy before saying, “Kaiba, can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything. Whether I answer is up to me.”

“Alright, asshole.” Jounouchi rolled his eyes. “I want to talk about New York. Why haven’t you asked me to do anything to you since we got back?”

Kaiba looked surprised. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Well, I have. It’s not the tournament, since your whole reason for needing me is stress relief, and you seem very, very stressed out right now to me. You’ve been avoiding me.”

Kaiba’s face looked thoughtful.

“Don’t try to think up a bullshit excuse, either.” Jounouchi leaned in across the table. “It’s not the tournament, Kaiba.”

“Well, you already seem to know the answer to your own question,” Kaiba shot back, frowning, “So, why have you bothered to ask me?”

“Because! Because it’s important for you to say these things!”

“What do you want me to say?”

Jounouchi made a noise of frustration in his throat. “You gotta say the things you need to say, Kaiba! It ain’t healthy to go around makin’ excuses for how you feel!”

“How I feel?” Kaiba’s brows furrowed. “How do you know how I feel?”

“It’s my job, dumbass.” There was a beat of silence, and then Jounouchi lowered his gaze to the table. “You didn’t like it, did you?”

Silence reigned in the room. Jounouchi bore it as long as he could stand before raising his eyes back to Kaiba’s. They looked pained.

“Jounouchi…”

“If you didn’t like it, you can tell me,” he continued quickly, “It’s my job to please you or whatever, so if I didn’t, I just need to know so I can do better the next time. That’s all. Just tell me.”

Kaiba raised his wine glass to his lips, taking a long sip. He set the glass back down on the table and pinched the stem, swiveling the crystal back and forth. He stared, unfocused at the liquid inside. “I enjoyed what we did, Jounouchi, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked for it.”

“That’s not true,” Jounouchi argued, “Just because you wanted it, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t, yknow, do it right. I mean, that I wasn’t…,” he stalled, swallowing down a sudden lump in his throat, “That I wasn’t good enough.”

Kaiba looked up at him, and his expression was inscrutable. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” Jounouchi was close to pleading. “I’ve been-,” he stopped himself, took a deep breath. Steadied himself. “I’ve been worried about this, Kaiba.”

“Well, don’t.” Kaiba turned his head to the side, taking another sip of wine. “You were fine.”

“What every man wants to hear.”

“It was good.”

“Thanks,” Jou spit.

“What do you want me to say?” Kaiba rose from his seat, arms folded.

Jounouchi mirrored the action. “I want you to tell me what’s going on with you. Why haven’t you wanted to do anything since? If you liked it, then why are you avoiding me?”

Kaiba bore down on Jounouchi, entering his personal space and glaring down at him with intensity. “You want me to stop avoiding you? You’re wondering why we didn’t do it again? Well, I think I know how to fix that.”

Kaiba grabbed Jounouchi’s arms hard enough to hurt and hauled him across the room, throwing him down on the bed that sat in the corner of the studio apartment. Kaiba laid Jou out flat on his back and crawled on top of him, pinning his wrists to the pillow. He bent his head until his eyes were level with Jounouchi’s, their noses almost touching. “I hope you’re ready.”

Without another word, Kaiba crushed their mouths together, hands swiftly working off his belt. His hands dipped into Jounouchi’s pants and brought him to a full erection with just a few, harsh tugs. His clothes went, the buttons on his shirt popping with the ferocity with which Kaiba pulled the garment off. Jounouchi tried to protest, but a hand around his neck stopped him. “You wanted this,” Kaiba reminded him, voice closer to a growl than anything, “If you want me to stop, you’d better be damned sure.”

Tears pricked Jounouchi’s eyes as Kaiba took him in his mouth. Then, he felt Kaiba’s fingers, and he understood. It felt strange, but Kaiba didn’t give him much time to get used to it before giving him more. He sucked harder, drove further inside, and Jounouchi was wild with the sensation. His body was humming, pleasure thrumming through him in a steady chant for more.

It felt like being ripped apart. He screamed and flung himself backwards, away from Kaiba, scrambling with sudden desperation to get away. The pain had been quick, but it had been one of the worst pains he’d ever felt. His whole body was trembling. “What the fuck was that?”

Kaiba stared at him, hands at his sides, eyes wide. “What was what?”

“What did you do?!” he demanded.

“What you did to me in New York, you idiot.”

“No, no, no,” Jou mumbled, shaking his head, “That felt…,” he trailed off, shaking harder, “That was horrible.”

Jounouchi closed his eyes, unable to look at Kaiba. He hadn’t been ready. He hadn’t been ready, at all. He had failed, had denied Kaiba, and he didn’t know what would happen next, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be good.

He felt Kaiba’s weight leave the bed, but he didn’t open his eyes. He heard the sound of Kaiba’s shoes clacking against the wooden floors then the rustling of fabric as he put on his coat. Then, the door slammed.

Jounouchi opened his eyes. The apartment was empty, and he was alone.

xXx

The next day, Jounouchi didn’t go to work. He texted Chiro to let her know he was feeling sick and assured her that he would be working on his deck at home, in case Kaiba would ask. He suspected Kaiba wouldn’t ask, but he said it, anyway.

He haunted his own apartment, wandering around and straightening things up. He cleaned up the previous night’s dinner, which had laid on the dining table all night, only partially eaten. It was a shame since it’d been so good, but Jounouchi hadn’t had an appetite after what happened with Kaiba. He was still trying to wrap his mind around it. It had been humiliating, but the further away he got from the incident, the more convinced he became that it’d been Kaiba’s fault for not being more gentle. But he’d been enjoying it until then, hadn’t he? He should’ve asked Kaiba to slow it down, should’ve known it would be harder for his first time. They both should’ve known that. Kaiba knew he was a virgin.

Jounouchi washed the dishes then dried them and put them away. He wasn’t supposed to refuse Kaiba. It had just hurt so much. He wondered if he would be pulled from the tournament or worse, have his contract terminated. The tournament was the only thing he had to look forward to - he wasn’t sure what he would do if Kaiba were to pull him. And if his contract was terminated, he wouldn’t be allowed to stay in his new apartment anymore.

Jounouchi’s eyes scanned the room until they landed on Hirutani’s letter. If he were to be evicted from this apartment, he wondered if he’d be able to get his old place back. If he did that, of course, Hirutani would find him. He wouldn’t be safe if he went back, but if Kaiba fired him, what choice would he have? For the first time, perhaps, since his entire relationship with Kaiba started, Jounouchi considered just how dependent he was on Kaiba’s money. He realized that, without Kaiba’s sponsorship, he was nothing. He wouldn’t be a duelist, wouldn’t have an income, wouldn’t be his friends’ equal. He might still have his dignity, might still be a man, but probably not. He couldn’t whore himself out for a sponsorship and call himself a man.

His thoughts were carrying him firmly into a depressive state, and he knew it, but he couldn’t seem to stop the negativity swirling around in his mind. So, this was the consequence Kaiba spoke of when they’d first started this thing. Betraying Kaiba and breaking the contract meant going back to nothing, to being nobody. The very thought of going back to his grocery store job filled him with so much dread he had to lie down.

How could he fix things? Could he fix things? Kaiba had been in the wrong, but did that matter? God, everything would be okay if he could just find out if he was fired or not. He wouldn’t be nearly so depressed if he could just know what the consequence would be of denying Kaiba. He couldn’t call him, though. He couldn’t bear what Kaiba might say.

Jounouchi took a shower instead. He used a bar of sandalwood soap and even washed his hair with the new, fancy shampoo Kaiba had bought for him. He stayed under the spray until his fingers wrinkled, thinking about how angry Kaiba had sounded last night and wondering why. He hadn’t really said anything too inflammatory. All Jou had wanted was a simple answer to why Kaiba had been avoiding him, and he’d gotten so angry. Then, thinking back on it, Jou realized Kaiba had gotten violent. While it was true that Kaiba had come at him hard like that in the past, it had never been backed by the emotion Kaiba had brought to this encounter. No, Kaiba had been angry, and he’d been taking his frustration out on Jounouchi.

He finished his shower and went to lie down on the couch. He wanted to put Kaiba out of his mind, but working on his deck wouldn’t help, and that was the thing he really needed to do. He was sick and tired of thinking about Duel Monsters. His eyes strayed around the room before landing on the envelope, still sitting on his coffee table.

We need to talk, Kat. Meet me at the docks tomorrow after sundown. Show up or the card won’t be the only thing of yours I break.

Jounouchi read the words again. They needed to talk? Jounouchi couldn’t imagine what Hirutani would want to talk about with him. Logically, he knew he shouldn’t be entertaining the idea, but the semblance of a plan was beginning to form in his mind in spite of his best efforts to rationalize it away. Hirutani wouldn’t stop bothering him unless he was made to, until he understood that he couldn’t keep fucking with Jou. They’d been pretty good buddies back in his old gang days, so Jounouchi knew the only thing Hirutani really responded to was stubbornness and dominance displays. Hirutani kept bothering Jounouchi because he thought he was a weakling, unable to defend himself. If Jounouchi could show him he wasn’t weak, he would back off.

The trouble was, Hirutani didn’t fight fair. He would fight with honor if he had someone watching to impress, but when it had just been the two of them in the alley, he had played dirty. Jounouchi would bet, though, that the gang leader would come prepared with other gang members to the docks tomorrow. That would give Jounouchi the opening he needed to issue a challenge for a fair fight.

Again, Jounouchi tried to stop his planning. It wasn’t even a little bit smart to be dealing with this problem on his own. He’d had a concussion not too long ago from his last interaction with Hirutani, and though he was in better shape now than when he’d been jumped, he wouldn’t call it peak physical condition just yet. The smart thing to do would be to turn things over to the police and have them arrest Hirutani and his gang.

Jounouchi’s own sense of honor, though, wouldn’t allow him to do a thing like that, not really. He’d thought before that there would be no way to recover his lost dignity, to reaffirm his manhood, but he was wrong. He would challenge Hirutani, and he would win. Hiding behind the authorities, behind people more powerful than himself, would only prove he really was a coward and a weakling. But he was neither of those things, or at least, he wouldn’t be anymore. He would fight Hirutani, get him to back off, prove that he was a man capable of defending himself. It was the only way.

Jounouchi crossed to the window and stared out towards the river, to where the docks were. He needed to feel like himself again. He was losing it, losing himself, and if he needed to prove that he was still Jounouchi, he would.

xXx

The docks were quiet. The sun had just set, and all of the workers had left the shipyards for the day. There were a few cargo vessels tethered out in the harbor, bobbing imperceptibly in the dark waves. Jounouchi was reminded of that time in Battle City when he’d fought Yuugi. That was the last time he’d been to the docks, really. Of course, he didn’t really remember much about fighting Yuugi, as he’d been under Marik’s mind control for most of the battle. Just another example of Jounouchi not being Jounouchi, a situation he never wanted to be in again. He just needed to break Kaiba’s mind control now.

He stuck his fists into the pockets of his old leather coat, feeling the holes in the lining that had been worn there by age and use. His wallet was in one of the pockets, unusually thick and barely able to close. That was part of his plan, too. All he needed was for Hirutani to find him.

In spite of - or perhaps because of - the danger, Jounouchi couldn’t help but feel excited. He felt a little bit like his old self, when he used to do jobs for Hirutani and the gang. That was before he’d become friends with Yuugi and Anzu. Back when he spent his nights on the streets, breaking into cars and robbing convenience stores. Back when he and Honda scrapped their way to the top of the ranks in the gang, fighting side by side in turf war scuffles and back-alley scraps. They would tag buildings and street signs, run from the police, steal things just for the hell of it. Those days seemed romantic to him now, in a nostalgic sort of way, but he knew back then he wasn’t happy. Neither was Honda. That’s why they’d left, became friends with a new crowd, moved away from the seedier scenes.

Jounouchi looked up at the sky, seeing the faintest outline of the moon behind the dark storm clouds that had rolled in just a few hours ago. He wondered how Honda was doing nowadays, anyway.

Hirutani emerged as the moon was fully taking form. He strolled up the docks towards Jounouchi, flanked by two other men. Both were holding bats, but Hirutani himself was not noticeably armed. He smiled when he drew near. “Kat, I’ll be honest. I didn’t think you would show.”

“Why do you keep botherin’ me?” Jou demanded, voice level, “You guys aren’t hurtin’ for money. At least, you never were in the past.”

Hirutani chuckled. “Jounouchi, I made you the man you are today. You’d be nothing without me. I’m only interesting in collecting what I’m due.”

Jounouchi scoffed. “You didn’t make me shit. I got where I am thanks to my friends and my own damn self.” He shook his head. “If that’s really all you’ve got to say, I’m not interested in hearing more. Let’s do this. Those the only two guys you brought?”

Hirutani frowned and nodded.

“Here’s how it’s gonna go down,” Jou continued, “Me an’ you are gonna square off. No help, no weapons. We’re gonna fight like men. Winner gets this.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and held up his overstuffed wallet. “I cashed my bank out. That’s 450,000 yen.”

All three thugs’ eyes went wide. The one on the right stepped forward.

Jounouchi shook his head. “You ain’t gonna take it from me, three on one. That ain’t fair. Hirutani, you’re still a man of honor, ain’t you?”

Hirutani’s frown turned up at the corners. “Of course. A man is nothing without honor.”

“Says the guy who jumped me in an alley, but I’ll believe ya mean it.” Jounouchi dropped his wallet on the ground at his feet. “If, for some reason, one of your guys gets it in his head to grab the money, remember somethin’: You guys are real idiots.” He laughed. “You sent me a threatening letter, for God’s sake! And now we’re gonna fistfight. Even when I win this thing, I’d still be able to turn you in! So just play fair and no one needs to know about this, okay? I would really hate it for my old pal Hiru to do jail time because he thought he was hot shit.”

Hirutani stepped forward, growling. “You’re going to regret insulting me, Kat.”

Jounouchi raised his eyebrows then his fists. “I doubt that.”

Hirutani stepped forward and raised his hand. “We shake first. Like gentlemen.”

Jounouchi didn’t immediately lower his fists, but after a pause, he clasped Hirutani’s hand. “May the best man win.”

With a feral grin, Hirutani yanked Jounouchi forward and slammed his fist into the side of his face.

Jounouchi’s vision darkened, but he swung on instinct, and his punch connected with Hirutani’s chest. He was released, and he backed up, fists raised to protect his face as he narrowly dodged the next blow.

The two men circled each other. Jounouchi looked for an opening, ignoring the throb in his skull.

“Kat, you really should know better than to fight me,” Hirutani taunted, feigning a step forward to make Jounouchi flinch, “I’m stronger than you. Larger than you. Better than you.”

Jounouchi spat on the ground, eyes never leaving his opponent. “Yer dumber than me, though. An’ slower.” He advanced like lightning, striking out at Hirutani’s head. He had expected the man to raise his arms to block the punch, so the second he threw at his gut connected hard. Jou immediately stepped back to duck the retaliation. “I’ll say one thing. You did teach me how to fight pretty well.”

Hirutani laughed, rubbing the spot where Jounouchi had hit him. “You were one of the best. Why’d you ever have to leave?”

“How are ya still thinkin’ about that? I left, like, six years ago.”

Jou stepped in again and threw another punch towards Hirutani’s face. He was ready this time, though, and caught Jounouchi’s arm in both hands. He flung him with force, and Jounouchi went stumbling to the side, barely able to catch himself before he fell.

“It’s not too late to come back, you know.”

Jounouchi wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his wrist, shaking his head to clear it. “Come back to the gang? Are ya crazy? We’re adults, man.”

“Your point?”

“Stealin’ stuff, sprayin’ graffiti everywhere? C’mon, Hiru, that stuff’s for kids. It’s juvenile.”

Hirutani popped his knuckles as he spoke. “What if I told you, Kat, that we’re after something bigger? That the reason I’ve been putting so much energy into coercing you is because we’re collecting funds for something large, even larger than any job we’ve ever done before. What if I told you I wanted you in on this job?”

“I would say I didn’t want any part of it,” Jou said slowly, enunciating his words carefully so there would be no mistake. “I went straight a long time ago.”

“With the money you have access to from Kaiba Corp., my crew would be able to buy into a certain market in a very significant way,” Hirutani continued, “It’s a very important market to Domino, and we would be remiss if we didn’t capitalize on such a lucrative positioning.”

“Yer usin’ a lot of big words there, pal.” Jounouchi doubled back to where he’d thrown his wallet just to make certain it was still there. “What are ya talkin’ about?”

“The drug trade, Jounouchi,” Hirutani clarified, “I want a piece of it. And your money will help me get that piece. Of course, there will be a considerable sum in it for you, as well.”

“Jesus, Hiru,” Jounouchi cursed, “That’s a new low, even for you. I thought you said you still cared about honor?”

Hirutani’s eyes darkened in an instant, and he surged forward. “I won’t let you stand there and insult me!” He brought his fists together in two arcs, but Jounouchi ducked out of the way, rolling to avoid being kicked.

“Well, then don’t stand there an’ say crazy shit! Drugs, Hiru? Really?”

Hirutani advanced again with an angry growl. This time, his fist did connect with Jounouchi, a punch to the gut sending him stumbling back over his feet. He remained upright to block the next punch that was thrown, but wasn’t able to connect one of his own.

The minutes of fighting wore on, and Jounouchi felt his body growing tired. He knew Hirutani was tiring, as well, but he wasn’t sure his stamina would be able to outlast his old boss’. He needed a way to end things, but he wasn’t sure how. He didn’t want to knock him out - that could be dangerous - but he wasn’t sure he could beat the other man badly enough to make him run away, either. His options were dwindling with every minute that passed and every blow he failed to dodge.

Hirutani lunged again, a slow, lumbering motion that betrayed how fatigued he really was. Jounouchi saw an opening, so he mustered a burst of speed and dodged behind his opponent, grabbing his arm at the shoulder and bicep and wrenching it backwards. He heard a ghastly popping noise, and Hirutani gasped. Jounouchi took a few paces backwards as Hirutani rounded on him, but the dislocated shoulder bought him a few seconds as he attempted and failed to move his arm. Just as he was moving to pop it back into place, Jounouchi surged forward again, sending a flurry of blows to his head and chest that his opponent was forced to dodge, distracting him. He moved past Hirutani and, like the other arm, grabbed hold with both hands and slammed it back. Hirutani went stumbling to the ground, and Jounouchi danced back, hoping he’d been successful.

Hirutani struggled to get to his feet using only his body momentum, both arms hanging uselessly at his sides. Jounouchi was certain the pain was intense. He’d only ever dislocated one shoulder at a time - it had sucked, but Honda had been able to move it back into place for him. “Call it, Hiru,” Jounouchi suggested, panting, “You’re done.”

“No!” Hirutani barked, rising to his knees but unable to go further without the use of his arms. He rolled his shoulder in some kind of attempt to fix things. The pained yelp that followed was almost sad.

Jounouchi resisted the urge to make a pun with every fibre of his being. “Do ya need me to knock you out? Can you not just concede the fight?”

Hirutani’s breathing was strained. He said nothing.

Jounouchi moved behind Hirutani and focused his eyes on a point below his neck he knew would put the other man out cold. He didn’t want to. It was dangerous, which is why he’d bothered dislocating both his shoulders in the first place, but he was also worried that every second Hirutani remained conscious was a minute where he might order his goons to grab Jou’s wallet and run.

“Good fight,” Hirutani said.

“Yeah, sure,” Jounouchi agreed dismissively before putting him down with a decisive elbow strike.

Hirutani fell, and Jounouchi rose to his feet. “Yer gonna get him to someplace he can get medical attention, boys,” he said, addressing the goons, “Head injuries are no joke.”

Jounouchi walked over to his discarded wallet and picked it up, placing it back into his pocket. He kept his bruised hands in his pockets, as well, the cold night air making the raw skin sting for the first time that night. Then, he started the long walk back to the subway, not looking back as he heard the sounds of the thugs carrying their leader away.


End file.
